What can you do with an English degree?
鈥淚 thought I was going to be a journalist because it seemed like the right thing to do,鈥 said 含羞草传媒 University junior Taylor Lutz, an English major from Benkelman. 鈥淏ut being an English major has exposed me to so many styles and authors and I鈥檓 glad I didn鈥檛 stick with my original plan.鈥
Lutz has since discovered a passion for creative writing and hopes to eventually become a teacher. She shared her thoughts with 21 high school juniors and seniors at the 含羞草传媒 Young Writers Workshop held November 13.
The high school students 鈥 many of whom are enrolled in 含羞草传媒鈥檚 Honors Academy 鈥 were treated to a student panel of 含羞草传媒 English majors who shared advice and feedback.
The high school students鈥 first question for the panelists: what do you want to do after you graduate?
Two panelists said they plan to teach, one said she wants to pursue her master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D., and another said she hopes to land a job as a grant writer.
鈥淚f you can write, edit and are comfortable with words, then you are very marketable,鈥 said senior Sammi Campbell, an English major from Centennial, Colo.
Participants learned about the English majors鈥 favorite writing styles, authors, favorite classes, and workload. They learned about experiences beyond the classroom like writing for a university literary magazine and learning from national authors through the 含羞草传媒 Visiting Writers Series.
High school students who attended the Young Writer鈥檚 Workshop also spent the day with 含羞草传媒 English professors in a poetry writing session, a fiction writing section, and a nonfiction writing session that was led by writer-in-residence Caryl Pagel, a poet and essayist who was also on campus as part of the Visiting Writers Series. The workshop concluded with an open mic reading by the high school students, who represented 11 high schools reaching as far as Sidney, Neb.
鈥淐ollege opens you up to other (literary) devices,鈥 Lutz advised the students. 鈥淲riting becomes second nature just like speaking. You will flex your writing muscles.鈥