Alumni of the English Department

or, "What can I do with an English major?"

Central College

English majors prepare for many vocations: some find careers in writing and publishing; others teach; many enter the professions which require excellent analytical and communication skills. Here is what a few of our graduates are doing:
 
 

• Marisa Brooks-de Dios ('83) is living in Kobe, Japan, and working at Language Resources, where she is a teacher trainer for students doing the RSA/CELTA Certificate for graduates who want certification to teach ESL overseas.  This makes her 4th sojourn in Japan--a total of 8 years.  She would be happy to talk to any students who are interested in coming to Japan.
• Julie Wageman Carroll ('96) is teaching 8th grade English at Redland Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland.
• Laura Ceretti ('95) is a Business Analyst consultant for the St. Louis office of an international information technology company (Cap Gemini). She is also attending law school part-time at St. Louis University, with an emphasis in Health Law. She writes that "English is increasingly becoming the preferred degree amongst undergraduates plotting the course to law school."
• David Chivers ('98) is a publications assistant at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he is also working on a Masters degree in Integrated Marketing Communication.
• Doug Claussen ('84) is publisher and editor of The I-70 Scout, a weekly newspaper in Strasburg, Colorado. See a feature on Doug in the December Alumni Bulletin.
• Kristen Combs ('98) is teaching English as a Second Language with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso.
• Deb Forssman ('94) is finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Missouri and teaching part-time at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.
• Kristen Dieleman Gandrow is an MFA student in the University of Iowa's dramaturgy program in Iowa City; she also participates in the UI Playwright's Workshop.
• Jon Garbison ('90) is assistant editor at Woodsmith Magazine in Des Moines, Iowa.
• Susan Reisenbigler Gennaro ('84) is editorial assistant for Our Kids Magazine in San Antonio, Texas.
• Sarah Glasgow ('96) is teaching ESL pre-kindergarten for the Clear Creek Community School District near Houston, Texas.
• Stacy Grooters ('93) is studying at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she was awarded a fellowship. Stacy is working on her Ph.D. in English; she received her MA degree from Miami University of Ohio in 1999.
• Dr. Richard Itzen ('80) is an Associate Professor at St. Augustine College in Chicago, Illinois.
• Heidi Johnson ('98) is doing technical writing as a method analyst with Allied Information Services (Allied Insurance) in Des Moines, IA.
• Lynn Wassink King ('85) is specialty books editor for Dark Horse Comics in Portland, Oregon.
• Heidi Kolk ('90) is assistant editor at Travel Your Way, a newspaper supplement travel magazine, in Chicago, Illinois.
• Bruce Lear ('79) is employed by the Iowa State Education Association and the National Education Association as director of the Siouxland UniServ Unit. He negotiates and maintains contracts for the teachers and staff in high schools and community colleges in the Sioux City, Iowa, area.
• Mary Beth Long ('96) is teaching high school English in the Peace Corps in Burundi, Africa.
• Brandee Marckmann ('96) is director of Hawthorn Hill, an English as a Second Language program for immigrants and refugees in Des Moines.
• Dennis Markway ('95) is a graduate student in English at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
• Sue Meyer ('86) teaches English at Valley High School in West Des Moines.
• Anita Miller ('98) is a bilingual paraprofessional in a dual language program at West Liberty.  She is also taking education classes at the University of Iowa in pursuit of an elementary education degree.
• Kyle Munson ('94) is music reviewer and columnist for the Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa. His work appears prominently in the Thursday Datebook.
• Aron Pease ('95) is studying at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he was awarded a teaching fellowship. Aron is working on his Ph.D. in English; he received his MA degree from Bowling Green State University in 2000.
• Stacy Peterson ('92) is the director of the Upward Bound program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
• Emily Plum ('00) is teaching English as a foreign language through the JET program in Japan.
• Gena Rath ('97) is an admission counselor at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids.
• Kristine Rosene ('96) is the Education Coordinator at the Catherine McAuley Center for Women in Cedar Rapids.
• Dr. Armeda Reitzel ('75) is a professor of ESL and service learning at Humboldt State University in Eureka, CA.
• Randy Sissel ('83) is teaching high school English in Marshalltown, Iowa. He would be glad to share his experiences in the Texas school system.
• Ruth Smalley ('81) is Professor of English at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.
• Nikki Smyrl ('96) is in a joint Masters program in TESL and Spanish at Colorado State University in Boulder. She is willing to supply information about graduate teaching assistantships in the English Department at CSU. Click on her name for e-mail.
• Carol Price Spurling is a bookseller at Old Harbor Books in Sitka, Alaska.
• Sarah de Graw Thao ('96) is teaching English as a Second Language classes for Des Moines Area Community Colleges.
• Clay Thompson ('90) is an attorney with Lane & Waterman in Davenport, Iowa.
• Kristy Ellis Tracy ('84)--Kris Ellis--works for Colombine JDS, one of the largest providers of software to the broadcast industry. She visits broadcasters, teaching traffic managers and business managers to use Colombine software products.
• Dale Vande Haar ('74) taught English for 18 years at SE Polk High School. Since getting his Masters in library science in 1991, he has worked as a library media specialist at Hoyt Middle School and then at East High School in Des Moines.
• Wayne Van Ry ('92) is working as a copywriter for Manleys' in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
• Ross Vermeer ('88) is a course designer for the Open Learning Institute in Kowloon, Hong Kong.
• Heather Vote ('96) is a contract writer for The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines. She writes the insurance policies and booklets that are given to new employees.
• Sinikka Wainionpaa Waugh ('96) received her Masters degree in comparative literature at the University of Iowa.  She lives in Indianola and works in Des Moines.