1) What year
did you graduate and what was your area of emphasis?
I graduated in May 2009 with a BA in English literature.
2) How did you wind up working at UW-Platteville after graduation?
I got lucky, actually. I was unemployed for the summer following, doing this and that trying to get a foothold and a paycheck. Through the relationships I fostered while I was a student, I learned about a limited term, part-time job in the public relations office. Because I had a demonstrated ability to write within a variety of styles (MLA and APA) and to learn new styles (Associated Press and Chicago), and of course some good recommendations from faculty and bosses, I was able to get a foot in the door and rejoin the university that August.
3) Could you tell us about your current occupation?
Currently, I am the content manager at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. I work with photographers, designers, marketers, writers, our Public Information Officer, and a whole mess of departments on campus to, in a nut-shell, help the university communicate more consistently in its messaging and voice. We are trying very hard to help UW-Platteville better establish a brand and leverage our existing brand so that we are more recognizable, more attractive, and better understood by our innumerable audience members. Prospective students, community members, legislators,... you name it--whomever is listening, we're trying to educate them.
Daily, I'm editing and writing press releases, working on our website transition project, handling media inquiries, and helping in public information matters.
4) Could you tell us a little about the paths you’ve traveled since you graduated?
I've typically traveled up college drive to work every day, including summers, winter breaks, and all the times in between. I haven't gone too far outside of Wisconsin since graduation, except a few trips to Texas and an amazing 10 days in Israel.
As far as career paths, I was an LTE in the PR office and Distance Learning Center for nearly a year, Chancellor Shields' speech writer for a year, and now I'm the content manager. It has been an interesting ride, and I'm looking forward to where my life takes me.
6) What are a couple of your favorite student memories of your time at UW-Platteville?
Oh boy. I had a lot of fun playing on the club hockey team, I played lots of video games with my roommates on our dueling big-screen TVs in Southwest Hall (I was part of the first group that got to live there), and I spent a lot of time up in the Writing Center where I worked during my 4th and 5th years on campus.
7) Was there something you had to do here which you felt was a waste of time, or something that you would do differently?
"Things I would've done differently with my time" could be a subtitle to the 12-part autobiography I'll never write. As far as a waste of time, I'm sure there were a thousand little things here, but I don't remember any of them now, so they must not have been that important.
Doing things differently? I know I would read more. I would try to know my professors better. I would have studied more.
8) Is there a class or classes that you wish now you could have taken, but didn’t? If so, why?
My last semester, I was signed up to take History of the English Language with Doc C, but I dropped it because I didn't need it to graduate. Looking back, that class and classes like Grammar and Context, Shakespeare, Greek and Roman Mythology, even Biblical classes are very important I think, if for no other reason than if you're a writer, so much of what the greatest DWGs (dead white guys) wrote was based on metaphors, similes and analogies that are founded in Christianity, mythology, Shakespeare, and the texts that were THEIR canon. To best understand them, we need to understand what they're talking about, and to do that, we should know at least something of their reference points. I'm glad I took Shakespeare, but we need more of it, and Grammar and Context was awesome for me as a professional writer.
9) Can you tell us about one or two high points of your life since you’ve graduated?
As far as high points go, I moved to the fourth floor of my apartment building. That's about it. I've had lots of valuable experiences since I graduated, but none of them have been the amazing moments of triumph that we think we're going to have. Life is lived day to day. And knowing that, all we can do is build on what we learned the day before. So while I don't have anything to unabashedly brag about, I'm working on it.
10) (If you are a writer) Do you still write? Can we follow up and interview you for our writing blog later on?
I write every day of my life. And I love it. Most of it is for work, but I also write in my free time. I'm usually working on a few short stories and my blog www.toobigforpostits.com at any given time. (My blog has, on average, zero hits per day, but that's what I get for being the 1 billionth person to start a blog; who cares, I'm going to keep at it.)
Yes, I'd be happy to be interviewed for the blog.
11) Could you ask yourself another question about something you wished we had asked you about, and answer it?
I probably could do that, but nothing comes to mind. Sorry!
12) Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Alive and hopefully not screwing anything up that will ruin me either professionally or personally. Other than that, I'm just interested in seeing how it all plays out.
I graduated in May 2009 with a BA in English literature.
2) How did you wind up working at UW-Platteville after graduation?
I got lucky, actually. I was unemployed for the summer following, doing this and that trying to get a foothold and a paycheck. Through the relationships I fostered while I was a student, I learned about a limited term, part-time job in the public relations office. Because I had a demonstrated ability to write within a variety of styles (MLA and APA) and to learn new styles (Associated Press and Chicago), and of course some good recommendations from faculty and bosses, I was able to get a foot in the door and rejoin the university that August.
3) Could you tell us about your current occupation?
Currently, I am the content manager at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. I work with photographers, designers, marketers, writers, our Public Information Officer, and a whole mess of departments on campus to, in a nut-shell, help the university communicate more consistently in its messaging and voice. We are trying very hard to help UW-Platteville better establish a brand and leverage our existing brand so that we are more recognizable, more attractive, and better understood by our innumerable audience members. Prospective students, community members, legislators,... you name it--whomever is listening, we're trying to educate them.
Daily, I'm editing and writing press releases, working on our website transition project, handling media inquiries, and helping in public information matters.
4) Could you tell us a little about the paths you’ve traveled since you graduated?
I've typically traveled up college drive to work every day, including summers, winter breaks, and all the times in between. I haven't gone too far outside of Wisconsin since graduation, except a few trips to Texas and an amazing 10 days in Israel.
As far as career paths, I was an LTE in the PR office and Distance Learning Center for nearly a year, Chancellor Shields' speech writer for a year, and now I'm the content manager. It has been an interesting ride, and I'm looking forward to where my life takes me.
6) What are a couple of your favorite student memories of your time at UW-Platteville?
Oh boy. I had a lot of fun playing on the club hockey team, I played lots of video games with my roommates on our dueling big-screen TVs in Southwest Hall (I was part of the first group that got to live there), and I spent a lot of time up in the Writing Center where I worked during my 4th and 5th years on campus.
7) Was there something you had to do here which you felt was a waste of time, or something that you would do differently?
"Things I would've done differently with my time" could be a subtitle to the 12-part autobiography I'll never write. As far as a waste of time, I'm sure there were a thousand little things here, but I don't remember any of them now, so they must not have been that important.
Doing things differently? I know I would read more. I would try to know my professors better. I would have studied more.
8) Is there a class or classes that you wish now you could have taken, but didn’t? If so, why?
My last semester, I was signed up to take History of the English Language with Doc C, but I dropped it because I didn't need it to graduate. Looking back, that class and classes like Grammar and Context, Shakespeare, Greek and Roman Mythology, even Biblical classes are very important I think, if for no other reason than if you're a writer, so much of what the greatest DWGs (dead white guys) wrote was based on metaphors, similes and analogies that are founded in Christianity, mythology, Shakespeare, and the texts that were THEIR canon. To best understand them, we need to understand what they're talking about, and to do that, we should know at least something of their reference points. I'm glad I took Shakespeare, but we need more of it, and Grammar and Context was awesome for me as a professional writer.
9) Can you tell us about one or two high points of your life since you’ve graduated?
As far as high points go, I moved to the fourth floor of my apartment building. That's about it. I've had lots of valuable experiences since I graduated, but none of them have been the amazing moments of triumph that we think we're going to have. Life is lived day to day. And knowing that, all we can do is build on what we learned the day before. So while I don't have anything to unabashedly brag about, I'm working on it.
10) (If you are a writer) Do you still write? Can we follow up and interview you for our writing blog later on?
I write every day of my life. And I love it. Most of it is for work, but I also write in my free time. I'm usually working on a few short stories and my blog www.toobigforpostits.com at any given time. (My blog has, on average, zero hits per day, but that's what I get for being the 1 billionth person to start a blog; who cares, I'm going to keep at it.)
Yes, I'd be happy to be interviewed for the blog.
11) Could you ask yourself another question about something you wished we had asked you about, and answer it?
I probably could do that, but nothing comes to mind. Sorry!
12) Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Alive and hopefully not screwing anything up that will ruin me either professionally or personally. Other than that, I'm just interested in seeing how it all plays out.
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