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 from an undergraduate student in Knoxville to becoming Special Correspondent with Deutsche Welle? Amien Essif: After I graduated from UTK, I spent the summer of 2012 writing a cover story […]
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 of Mississippi, she had no idea her decision would lead her into the publishing industry. “I was majoring in Broadcast Journalism, and I was learning to write shorter, and shorter […]
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. Z Eihausen: What drew you to creative writing initially? Clinton Ricks: I’m still figuring this one out, honestly. But I know it has to do with LeVar Burton and Reading […]
“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 Assistant Professor of Law at Lincoln Memorial University in Knoxville. After majoring in English (Literature), he graduated from UT’s College of Law in 2009. He spoke with Prof. Hilary Havens […]
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, Space & Security) at Boeing in Arlington, Va. Before that, she served as Director of Operations for the House Republican Conference, U.S. House of Representatives, chaired by Rep. Elise Stefanik […]
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 at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) located at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL). After graduating from UT English with a literature concentration, she went on to receive a Master […]
“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) has published stories in, among others, The New York Times, InStyle, O The Oprah Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, and Fast Company, where she worked for several years before becoming an entertainment editor at Teen Vogue. Claire’s father, […]
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 sleep medicine. After an MD at East Tennessee State University and a residency at UT, she now practices in St. Louis, Missouri where she lives with her husband, a fellow […]
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 write well and how much she misses being in English classes. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Katy Chiles: It’s so good to see you! I was just thinking this […]
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 Professional Writing class that set Sarah Rainey (’22) on her path. She was a sophomore, concentrating in Technical Communications, and the student who sat next to her was a senior. […]
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 brokerage firm to offer an online trading platform for 1031 exchanges and net lease real estate. B+E has offices in 7 cities – NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta, Charlotte, […]
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 Technology, a software company that tries to make technology seamless for restaurants so they can focus on food and customers. Corts explains, “I‘ve spent most of my career in software […]
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 of character analysis. “There’s an adversary. Someone who wants to best me. I’m looking at his or her clients, I’m trying to find out what motivates them—pressure points, areas of […]
“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 being not good for a while is the only path to getting better.” Austin L. Church (MA ’08) is a writer, marketing consultant, and business coach. He started freelancing in […]
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 and tabletop game designer. In addition to being the creator of Spectaculars and Dusk City Outlaws—and co-creator of Lords of Waterdeep—he was one of the creative minds behind Dungeons and […]
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 major at The University of Tennessee. R. A. Dickey gives his pitch on why English is the path to success, in any endeavor. As a student he played baseball for […]
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 creative writing program at Syracuse University, receiving her MFA in 2022. She grew up in Luttrell, TN, about 20 miles outside Knoxville. Her debut novel House of Cotton is set for publication […]
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, attended medical school, and established a successful practice as an obstetrician-gynecologist. Her path from English to an MD is not unusual. Though English and other humanities majors constitute less than […]