MSU English Alumni Stories

MSU English Alumni Stories

Caroline Smith Quote

Practicing law – especially the areas in which I practice – can be very writing intensive. Along those lines, editing and composition are two skills that I use every day that were honed as an English major. The skill that has made the largest impact on my career, though, is analysis. I am not sure I appreciated the analytical skills I was developing as I was writing a paper in Chaucer would transfer into the skills needed to evaluate whether a federal court has jurisdiction to hear a lawsuit filed against my client, but I know that my background as an English major established that foundation.

Caroline Smith

Attorney

Avery Ferguson Quote

Some of my favorite memories from being an undergraduate and graduate English major at MSU involved the courses I took, the professors I had the opportunity to learn from and work with, and the friends I made during my time at MSU. I felt supported by the professors in the English Department and felt that I had mentors in multiple research areas.

Avery Ferguson

Associate Production Editor

Austin Fortenberry Quote

Smaller, discussion-based classes that allowed me the opportunity to interact closely with classmates and instructors was a major positive for me. I also appreciated how my studies taught me skills for breaking apart complex works and examining how/why they functioned in the way that they did; upon graduation, I felt confident in my abilities to establish a clear claim about complex ideas and defend it with specific and relevant evidence, a skill that has been useful in many areas of life.

Austin Fortenberry

College and Academic Counselor

Amanda Beard Quote

One thing that my career does is allow me to become a voice for those who cannot speak. My career has created purpose in my life because I oftentimes have the opportunity to fight for the weak or vulnerable and speak up for those who have no voice.

Amanda Beard

Solo Practioner Attorney

Angela Brewer Quote

"My career path has been a winding one! After graduating with my master’s, I worked as a geotechnical testing laboratory manager. Then I worked for a textbook publisher developing middle school Earth science textbooks. That job was probably the best marriage of my two degrees. After working for the publisher, I freelanced in the same field for a few years and then worked as an editor for professional science journals."

Angela Brewer

Operations Specialist