Digital Interview with Brianna Jentz Conducted by English Faculty, April 2013

1.) What did you study at UW-Platteville?

When I first entered UW-Platteville, I was solely an English literature major, but I then quickly added a second major in history, which was followed by a certificate in writing and a minor in international studies.

2.) How did it feel/what was it like to be named valedictorian?

For me, as it is for many graduates, graduation was a blend between excitement and uncertainty. I’m not sure if I felt any differently about graduation as the valedictorian, but it was an honor to be one of the first ones to enter the gym on graduation day and to have lunch with the Chancellor, my family, and other honorees before the ceremony. I was also very humbled by so many kind words (and the potluck that the Writing Center organized) after all three LAE Valedictorians were formally announced.

3.)  What did you get out of working at the writing center?

  

I started working at the Writing Center right about the time that I feel like I found my niche in college. While my freshman and sophomore years were important in further developing my work ethic and establishing my own sense of what I wanted to accomplish, I feel that it was not until after I studied abroad in Scotland and then returned to UW-Platteville and delved deeper in the realm of research that I finally felt that I was working with all of the professors and doing all of the work that I was eager to do. Working at the Writing Center added the opportunities that I had to interact with fellow writers and scholars as well as helped me solidify my own practice of the writing process. Once of my favorite elements of the Writing Center as a tutor was seeing how a paper is developed from a mere brainstorming sessions to a fully developed submission.

4. A) Were you involved with any organizations/groups on campus?

Yes. Throughout my time at UW-Platteville, I was in a variety of groups, including, though not limited to, History Club, French Club, Students for Education Abroad, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Lambda Delta, and Phi Eta Sigma.

B) Where there any activities you were involved with on campus that weren't organization/group related?

Yes! I seized the opportunity to study abroad in Scotland. Plus I had the excellent opportunity to conduct historical research on the 23rd Special Headquarters, an American WWII deceptive task force, at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland through a Pioneer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (PURF) sponsored by the UW-Platteville Office of Sponsored Programming. I am so grateful that Dr. Krugler encouraged me to apply for that fellowship and then later served as my adviser throughout the entirety of my PURF. I was also an intern editor for "Stylus: An Anthology of Freshman Writing," which was a wonderful opportunity to work with a wide variety of students and editors.

5.)  What class did you find the most and least helpful?

I’m sure that at the time I was taking some classes that I complained about one or more elements about various classes, but each class taught me something; whether it’s about my own learning style or organization, I did learn something.

6.)  Do any faculty and staff stand out in your memory?

In no particular order: Dr. Daniel Dahlquist; Dr. Keith Hale; Dr. Laura Beadling; Dr. David Krugler; Dr. Adam Stanley; Dr. Melissa Gormley; Dr. Amanda Tucker; Dr. Amy Parsons; Dr. Stormy Stipe; Dr. Kory Wein; Evelyn Martens; Dr. Russ Brickey; Tami Boebel; Barb Weinbrenner; Professor Rebecca Gottlieb; Dr. Laura Anderson; Jenni Krahn; Dr. Scott Nikolai; Dr. Ciesielski; and many others.

7)  What do you hope to do now that you've graduated? What are you doing currently?

Well, I hope to do what most college graduates hope to accomplish; I want to be happy. Currently, I am a program assistant for the UW-Platteville Writing and Tutoring Resource Center where I assist with the activities of the Peer Assisted Learning program, "Stylus," and the Writing Center.

8.) What advice would you give to students who are working their way towards graduation?

As a writer, don’t discredit general education courses. We all need topics, and you would be surprised where inspiration may lurk.