Southwestern Magazine | Fall 2019

Pillars of support The aha moments humanities majors have had in Meyers’s course build on a foundation of other experiences on campus. For instance, Zozobrado says she regularly draws on the discus- sions Associate Professor Michael Saenger provided in a class called Speaking across Languages to make decisions about best word choices when editing copy that she writes for a website geared toward new homeowners. Many humanities students also pursue internships. For Patterson, an internship at a London publishing house during a study-abroad semester was followed by a six-month stint as a writing consultant for SU’s Debby Ellis Writing Center. She then served as the social-media coordinator for a boxing-club franchise in Round Rock. “The internships helped me narrow down my preferences while opening me up to considering other opportunities,” said Patterson, who now analyzes data about children’s apparel to help Zulily decide on their pricing and website presentation. But Patterson and others note that the confidence faculty gave them may be the most enduring legacy of attending Southwestern. For instance, Zozobrado recalls a course called Victorian Mystery Novels, in which Professor of English Eileen Cleere taught her a valuable lesson by keeping her accountable for contributing to a class discussion—despite not having completed the expected readings. Zozobrado says that when she took her current position this May marketing content to new homebuyers (even though she’s never owned a home herself), “It was really tough coming into this industry without any background, but I do know how to do the research, how to make connections and draw on the resources around me, and how to tap into that [confidence] because of the experience in Cleere’s class.” She started her cover letter for the position by stating how great a candidate she was, despite appearing otherwise. Without her campus experiences, Zozobrado says, “I would not have been brave enough to prove that I can actually do this [job]. The confidence boost and the reality checks Southwestern instructors gave me—that’s second to none.” 37 SOUTHWESTERN Where are SU ’ s English majors now? • Craig McKinney ’91, coordinator of professional learning, Plano Independent School District • AndrewMoore ’96, learning consultant, National Geographic Learning • Ammie Harrison ’00, humanities and theatre research librarian, Texas Christian University • Lauren Coker-Durso '05, assistant professor of English, Delta State University • Danielle Brown Stapleton ’05, social-mediamarketing strategist and programmanager, National Instruments • Christina Jones ’06, instructional designer, El Centro College • David Carroll ’07, career-preparation teacher, Austin Independent School District • Jason Chapman ’08, director of student activities, Whitworth University • Sarah Gould-Stotts ’10, president and meeting planner, Simple Meeting Solutions • Taylor Jones ’13, engineering specialist, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality • Kate Daniels ’14, director of development and membership, World A”airs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth • Paige Duggins-Clay ’14, commercial litigator, Husch Blackwell, LLP • Elizabeth Spieckerman ’15, project manager, Public Consulting Group