Category: alumni

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Alumni Profile: Melissa Kuhl, Publicity Specialist, University of Illinois Extension

I recently spoke about careers in marketing with U of I alumna Melissa Kuhl, who msteine3200x286graduated in 2011 with a double major in English and Creative Writing. Here’s what she had to say about her professional life after graduating from U of I:

VO: What did you do after you graduated?

Melissa: When I graduated, I was working with the University of Illinois Press in their marketing department. I had an internship with them that began in August 2010, so I continued that internship throughout the rest of the summer of 2011. Then, in August 2011 I got a position in the marketing department in Human Kinetics in Champaign. I worked there until July 2015, when I started with University of Illinois Extension doing marketing for them in Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermillion Counties.

VO: Can you tell me a bit more about what your current job entails?

Melissa: It’s a lot of communicating with the local media and with the public to share information about our upcoming events and programs to try to get people to sign up and to raise general awareness about what we do. Continue reading “Alumni Profile: Melissa Kuhl, Publicity Specialist, University of Illinois Extension”

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Alumni Snapshot: Luke Trayser, Copywriter

luke-trayserWe add new alumni to the Department of English  Alumni Mentoring Network all the time. Our newest participant is Luke Trayser, a senior copywriter at Ivor Andrew in Chicago.  Luke was kind enough to send along some advice for current students interested in careers in copywriting:

  • Even if you don’t have experience, you have your words. Your portfolio is vital. Write all the time, write for free, and put the stuff you’re proudest of in your portfolio.
  • During an interview, don’t try to be someone you think they want. That’s a good way to be stuck in a job that doesn’t fit. Instead, just be you. If you do that and get turned down, it was not the right place for you.
  • Most writing jobs require a cover letter and résumé, but it’s much easier, and more effective, to apply with your portfolio and résumé instead. It’s a hilarious little irony that the people who ask for cover letters can’t stand reading them.

Not sure what Luke means by “portfolio”?  Have a look at his!

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Alumni Profile: Beth Cohon, video editor for Teak

To learn about her career in video editing and her other experiences after graduation, I recently talked with U of I English alumna Beth Cohon. Be sure to check out the sample of her work, linked below! 39d3231

VO: When did you graduate from UIUC?

Beth:  I graduated in 2011, after my third year.

VO:  What was your reason for graduating early?

Beth:  I had a lot of AP credits before starting college. Then going into my junior year, I just realized that if I took something like 5 English courses each semester that I’d be able to graduate that year. However, looking back I sort of wish I had stayed all 4 years, because my last year was so fun. College is fun. I did take the next year to do a one-year MA, though, so I still got in my 4 years of school I guess.

VO:  What was your MA in?

Beth:  I got my MA in film studies, at King’s College London. In the UK most Masters courses are just one year full-time.

VO:  What do you do now?

Beth:  Now I work as a video editor at Teak, an agency/production company in San Francisco.

VO:  How long have you worked there? Continue reading “Alumni Profile: Beth Cohon, video editor for Teak”

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Alumni Profile: Austin Millet, Project Operations Coordinator for VelocityEHS

One of many reasons why studying English is great is that it provides an adaptable skill set that can be applicable to nearly any field. While some English majors may know they want to go into careers traditionally associated with the discipline, like editing or teaching, others may be drawn to the major for different reasons and may choose careers in business, Austin Millet phototechnology, or the sciences. To learn about alternative career paths, I recently talked with Austin Millet, who graduated with a degree in English in 2010 and currently works as a Project Operations Coordinator at VelocityEHS in Chicago. Here’s what he had to say about his experiences after college:

 

VO: What did you do after graduating from U of I?

Austin: I worked a few jobs part-time: temporary manual labor, at a bar, and as a content/marketing writer at a small business in Chicago. After about a year, I went to teach English in the Republic of Georgia for a year.

VO:  Interesting! Was that through a school or organization? What was that experience like? Continue reading “Alumni Profile: Austin Millet, Project Operations Coordinator for VelocityEHS”