Tyler Bradway, Class of 2006
Assistant Professor of English, State University of New York, Cortland
Higher Education What is the difference between a poem and a recipe? The answer has eluded me for nearly twelve years, ever since I began my English major at West Chester University. In my first semester, I took Dr. Carolyn Sorisio's "Conventions of Reading." On the first day, we read Emily Dickinson's "recipe" for black cake. Read More.

Kim (McGrath) Haemmerle, Class of 2008
Talent Acquisition/Research, eBay Enterprise
Market Research I always find it humorous when people ask, "What can you do with an English degree?" I think the question should really be "What can't you do with an English degree?" As an English major at WCU, I honed skills that enable me to write effectively, read critically, research strategically, and think analytically. Read More.

Jessica Ohnikian, Class of 2013
Global Education Sales Coordinator, John Wiley & Sons
Publishing I grew up with a mother in the medical field and an entrepreneur father in retail, so my choice to study English in college came as a surprise to my parents. But it was also completely understandable; I'd always been drawn to the creative side of life. Read More.

John Dixon, Class of 1998 (M.A.)
Fiction Writer I started writing stories during third grade. My kind teacher, Mrs. Wolfe, encouraged me, even though I wrote crazy stuff: several tales about a fire-breathing chicken monster; a thriller about a racecar driver who crashed into a wooded ravine, only to be set upon by moaning zombies; and a chiller about a hulking Frankenstein knock-off I called "Gill," because he could breathe underwater. Read More.

Chris Timmins, Class of 2005
Sales Account Executive, Salon Media Group
2006 Recipient, John Feely Hopkins Short Story Award
Marketing and Advertising West Chester University is an English major's dream. From the challenging coursework and supportive faculty, to working at the annual poetry conference and building chapbooks at Aralia Press, I had every opportunity to dive into the written word. Read More.

Matt Thomas, Class of 2004
Manager of Content & Social Strategy, The Neat Company
Marketing and Advertising I went to college to become an English teacher. Well-that's not true. I went to college to get a computer science degree, but I soon realized that I was really bad at calculus. Plus I never really had a clear idea what I'd do with a comp-sci degree anyhow. So I ended up earning a BSEd in English and teaching high school for a few years. Read More.

Vanessa Cozza, Ph.D., Class of 2003 (B.A.) and 2005 (M.A.)
Assistant Professor of English, Washington State University Tri-cities
Higher Education I graduated from West Chester University in 2003 with my B.A. in Literature and in 2005 with my M.A. in Literary Studies, specializing in Rhetoric and Composition. My English education at WCU paved the way for me to gain valuable teaching experience and to later pursue an advanced degree. Read More.

Amy Festa, Class of 2011
Marketing & Communications Coordinator, United States Tennis Association (USTA) Middle States
Marketing and Advertising When I chose to become an English major at West Chester University, I was often asked the question, "What are you going to do with that?" My answer was simple: "Whatever I want." I arrived at WCU with a passion for writing but no clear plan for the future. Read More.

Brian Fanelli, Class of 2006
Poet (twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize); Instructor, Lackawanna College
Creative Writing and Higher Education When anyone asks me why I became a poet, I fondly recall the poetry courses that I took during my junior and senior years at West Chester University. I can still remember sitting in a classroom in Main Hall, critiquing the work of my classmates and listening to the feedback they shared with me. Read More.