Alumni & Student Stories

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English majors and alumni pursue many paths! Check out highlights involving current students and alumni stories. English graduates move into careers in fields like information analysis, journalism, corporate communication, software/hardware documentation, and more.

91�Թ�� English Major Publishes

Mazie McNamara, Class of 2025, published a poem titled "Eating Oranges," in the Summer of 2024 (volume 65, no 4) issue of The Midwest Quarterly: A Journal of Contemporary Thought, published by Pittsburg State University.

"ENGL 306, How to Be a Writer, empowered me to take my writing seriously and envision a creative future after my time at 91�Թ��. The course required submitting our work to national publications, and as a result, my poem “Eating Oranges” was picked up by the Midwest Quarterly Review. Beyond providing invaluable knowledge and resources on the submission process, the confidence I gained during the semester was life-changing. The English department at 91�Թ�� shows so much support and care for its students, and ENGL 306 is just one of those offerings."

Zag Writers Read

The 91�Թ�� University English Department launched a new series, Zag Writers Read, providing a platform for GU's creative writers to share their work with the wider community. The inaugural event took place on Wednesday, October 30th, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Paper St. Coffee Co. and featured Leyna Krow, author of "FIRE SEASON." The theme of the first reading was "SPOOKY," fitting for the Halloween season.

The event saw a great turnout, with many attendees enjoying the eerie and captivating readings. The organizers expressed their hope that this series will continue to foster a vibrant literary community at GU. All GU community members were welcome to submit their work and attend the event, making it a truly inclusive celebration of creativity.

If you'd like to apply to share your writing at future events, please submit fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry to zagwritersread@gmail.com.

Meagan Graves holding the book "Sing the Salmon Home"

Alumni Stories

Meagan Graves, '23, Poem Publication

Meagan Graves, class of 2023 original poem, Adoadromous, was published in Sing the Salmon Homes: Poems from Washington State. She also is the recipient of the 2022 Michael and Gail Gurian Writing Award for Poetry.

Alumni Stories

Haley Wilson, '21, Starbucks Corporation (Seattle)

“In [our major classes] we discuss something, we nuance something, we complicate something, and then talk about it in smaller groups one-on-one… [W]e…challenge one another—we question one another, we…say ‘I don’t know have that same reading’ or…‘what do you think[?]’… that’s a huge skill… “We’re a lot more likely to have questions of ethics, questions of morals, questions of social justice issues in my English classrooms… and that’s top of mind everywhere. That is what people want in a company, and that’s a big value that you can bring to a company.”

Alumni Stories

Claire Topalian, '11, Principal, The Cove Group (Seattle)

“Analyzing information, connecting the dots, and then—I think usually most interestingly, inserting new information into the gaps or overlaying new information on top of what you’re reading. I think that’s where some really magical stuff happens in English. And I actually think that that produces an ability to think so differently—that allows you to do really endless things in your day-to-day professional interactions. The good news is that you can basically apply that to anything.”

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