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:
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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.
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Julie
Wageman Carroll ('96) is teaching
8th grade English at Redland Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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Kristen Combs ('98) is teaching English as
a Second Language with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso.
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Deb Forssman ('94) is finishing her Ph.D. at the
University of Missouri and teaching part-time at Augustana College in Rock
Island, Illinois.
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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.
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Jon Garbison ('90) is assistant editor at
Woodsmith
Magazine in Des Moines, Iowa.
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Susan Reisenbigler Gennaro ('84) is editorial
assistant for Our Kids Magazine in San Antonio, Texas.
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Sarah Glasgow ('96) is teaching ESL pre-kindergarten
for the Clear Creek Community School District near Houston, Texas.
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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.
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Dr. Richard Itzen ('80) is an Associate Professor
at St. Augustine College in Chicago, Illinois.
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Heidi Johnson ('98) is doing technical
writing as a method analyst with Allied Information Services (Allied Insurance)
in Des Moines, IA.
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Lynn Wassink King ('85) is specialty books
editor for Dark Horse Comics in Portland, Oregon.
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Heidi Kolk
('90)
is assistant editor at Travel Your Way, a newspaper supplement travel magazine,
in Chicago, Illinois.
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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.
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Mary Beth Long ('96) is teaching high school
English in the Peace Corps in Burundi, Africa.
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Brandee
Marckmann ('96) is director of Hawthorn
Hill, an English as a Second Language program for immigrants and refugees
in Des Moines.
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Dennis Markway ('95) is a graduate student
in English at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
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Sue Meyer ('86) teaches English at Valley
High School in West Des Moines.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Stacy
Peterson ('92) is the director of the Upward Bound program at the
University of Iowa in Iowa City.
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Emily Plum
('00) is teaching English as a foreign language through the JET program in
Japan.
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Gena Rath
('97)
is an admission counselor at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids.
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Kristine Rosene ('96)
is the Education Coordinator at the Catherine McAuley Center for Women in Cedar
Rapids.
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Dr. Armeda
Reitzel ('75) is a professor of ESL and service learning at Humboldt State
University in Eureka, CA.
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Randy
Sissel ('83) is teaching high school English in Marshalltown, Iowa.
He would be glad to share his experiences in the Texas school system.
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Ruth Smalley ('81) is Professor of English
at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.
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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.
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Carol Price
Spurling is a bookseller at Old Harbor Books in Sitka, Alaska.
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Sarah de Graw
Thao ('96) is teaching English as a Second Language classes for
Des Moines Area Community Colleges.
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Clay Thompson ('90) is an attorney with Lane
& Waterman in Davenport, Iowa.
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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.
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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.
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Wayne Van
Ry ('92) is working as a copywriter for Manleys' in Belfast, Northern
Ireland.
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Ross Vermeer ('88) is a course designer for
the Open Learning Institute in Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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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.
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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.
Alumni--if you would like to appear
on this list, please let us know what you are doing. We'd love to hear
from you. Send your news to John Miller
or
to any faculty member in the English Department.
Let us know if you would like us to include your e-mail address.
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