Alumni Profiles
In the links below, we profile some of our alumni and the path that led from their time as an English major to their current careers and lives. Their stories are among those of thousands of English Vol graduates who have gone on to rewarding careers in various avenues of life.
- English Major to Special Correspondent: Amien Essif and Finding Stories in the Chaos of Information
English Alum Amien Essif discusses how English prepared him for a career in journalism through telling human stories. Erin Cantrell: What was your career path… Read more: English Major to Special Correspondent: Amien Essif and Finding Stories in the Chaos of Information - From English Major to UT Press Director: Katie Hannah
When recently appointed University of Tennessee Press Director Katie Hannah first switched to English Literature as a major during her sophomore year at the University… Read more: From English Major to UT Press Director: Katie Hannah - The Funny Thing About English- An Interview with Clinton Ricks and JoAnna Brooker
Two English alumni discuss how poetry and rhetoric set them up for comedic success and how inspiration often comes from the most unlikely of places.… Read more: The Funny Thing About English- An Interview with Clinton Ricks and JoAnna Brooker - Law Professor Jason Smith’s Beginnings as a UT English Major
“Attorneys are storytellers”: Smith shares four ways English is an advantageous precursor to law and education Jason Smith (’04) is Director of Legal Writing and… Read more: Law Professor Jason Smith’s Beginnings as a UT English Major - From Rhetoric to the Halls of Power: Houston Holdren’s Career Path
From Capitol Hill to the skies, English helped Houston Holdren soar. English alumna Houston Holdren (’19) is a Senior Executive Assistant for Government Operations (Defense,… Read more: From Rhetoric to the Halls of Power: Houston Holdren’s Career Path - English Majors Don’t Have Limits: Ashley Barker and ORNL
Former English Major Flourishes as Section Head for Operations at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility Ashley Barker (’96) is the Section Head for Operations… Read more: English Majors Don’t Have Limits: Ashley Barker and ORNL - English Major to Teen Vogue: Claire Dodson’s Career Path
“English is making you a better writer and making you a better person in the world that thinks critically about things.” English alum P. Claire Dodson (‘15)… Read more: English Major to Teen Vogue: Claire Dodson’s Career Path - English Major to Sleep Medicine: Dr. Leigh Ball’s Career Path
Dr. Leigh Ball uses her English degree to improve patient care. Dr. Leigh (Schlactus) Ball (’12) is an internal medicine physician with a specialty in… Read more: English Major to Sleep Medicine: Dr. Leigh Ball’s Career Path - English Major to Corporate Lawyer: Jasmine Johnson’s Career Path
Jasmine Johnson (2016) is an attorney in Atlanta, GA, where she practices corporate law. She spoke with Professor Katy Chiles about the value of learning to… Read more: English Major to Corporate Lawyer: Jasmine Johnson’s Career Path - English Major to Business: Sarah Rainey’s Career Path
Sarah Rainey uses skills she learned in her English courses to thrive in different business sectors. It was a chance meeting in her Technical and… Read more: English Major to Business: Sarah Rainey’s Career Path - English Alum Camille Renshaw’s Path from Literature to Real Estate
A background in English has been a key to this CEO’s competitive edge. Camille Renshaw, UT English ’94, is CEO of B+E Real Estate, the first… Read more: English Alum Camille Renshaw’s Path from Literature to Real Estate - Catching up with COO and English Major David Corts
How Literary Reading and Expository Writing Helped Corts become a Successful Entrepreneur David Corts loves to hire English majors. Corts is the COO of Fresh… Read more: Catching up with COO and English Major David Corts - A Matter of Character Analysis
English classes, Hall believes, “teach you how to think” rather than “what to think.” For attorney Christopher A. Hall, practicing law is often a matter… Read more: A Matter of Character Analysis - Finding Your Own Way: Austin L. Church On a Career in Freelancing
“A freelancing career thus looks like a continuous process of strategic discomfort. You have to be willing to do things you’re not good at because… Read more: Finding Your Own Way: Austin L. Church On a Career in Freelancing - English Major to Video Game Design: An Interview with Rodney Thompson
Rodney Thompson’s love of storytelling brought him to English and now game rooms everywhere. English alumnus Rodney Thompson (Creative Writing ’04) is a multi-award-winning video… Read more: English Major to Video Game Design: An Interview with Rodney Thompson - MLB Player and English Major R. A. Dickey Talks about Why English Was His Choice
Dickey says the ability to communicate well leads to success, and it’s a skill he says he got from his time spent as an English… Read more: MLB Player and English Major R. A. Dickey Talks about Why English Was His Choice - Monica Brashears: From English Major to Novelist
Monica Brashears’ debut novel, House of Cotton, comes out this April. Monica Brashears (’19) double-majored in English (Creative Writing) and Africana Studies. Afterward, she enrolled in the… Read more: Monica Brashears: From English Major to Novelist - From English to MD: Carolyn Thompson
What can you do with an English major? Whatever you want, says Vol Alumna Dr. Carolyn Thompson (’88), who graduated with a BA in English,… Read more: From English to MD: Carolyn Thompson