The Words, May 2016

Allison Dobscha ‘15

• Where do you live and what do you do? I live in Houston, Texas, where it sometimes floods and there are many amazing Mexican restaurants.  I teach tenth grade English at a public charter school in the city.  
• What do you miss about the English Department? I miss so many things about the English department, but I especially miss being a student. The best part of my current job is guiding teenagers through deep discussions about the purpose of literature or an author’s reason for using a particular style, and I wish I could go back to college and engage in these same conversations with my peers.  I would love to be a student in a classroom again, assigned great books to read at home and expected to learn every day.
• Any advice for English majors? Appreciate your time in college! English majors have the best homework in the world, and the English department has so much food and many comfortable spaces. Don’t take it for granted.  Additionally, have confidence in yourself and the scarcity of your skills. I have found that people who study English have a greater capacity for critical thinking and are able to utilize the complex writing skills that many adults lack.

Rachel Rostad ‘15

• Where do you live and what do you do? After a half-year stint on the East Coast where I worked as a teacher and deckhand aboard an eighty-foot schooner, I’m back in the Twin Cities. I’m working at a restaurant as a barback and food runner. I’m also involved with a few different creative projects, including but not limited to: publishing essays & poems, acting in a music video, recording music with Spa.
• What do you miss about the English Department? Most things I could think of off the top of my head have to do with Jan and food — Bagel Mondays, Treat Nights, etc. I also miss having department resources available for things like going to plays, hosting dinner parties, and conducting research. There are so many random intellectual things I’d love to do, and there’s no Critchett Fund to apply to post-grad.
• Any wise words for English majors? As far as post-grad life goes, I keep thinking of this picture my friend posted on Facebook. It’s a road sign in front of a hedge and some trees. I like to think it marks the beginning of a hiking trail. It says: “IT IS NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK, BUT IT IS DIRTIER.”

Jamie Salmonson ‘13

• Where do you live and what do you do? I’m a Targeted Mental Health Case Manager at Fraser. I own a home in Coon Rapids, Minnesota with my husband. I do an informal Writers Workshop every other week with friends to keep writing!
• What do you miss about the English Department? I really loved working in the English Department. I miss being there everyday, getting to know professors as people. Everything felt familiar and comfortable, James Dawes would forget that I was a student and thought I just worked there. Free coffee and treats everyday didn’t hurt. And when I was there, I saw Jan turn English Department events from something only student workers showed up to something 100 students would show up to.
• Any advice for English majors? My advice is to talk to strangers. Friend your peers on social media, plenty of mac alums are working as editors in the Twin Cities, they could get you a job one day. And bring some of that friendly, open Macalester vibe out into the real world when you leave because it’s not the same out here.

Graham Sutherland ’13

• Where do you live and what do you do? I live in Minneapolis and work in St. Paul. I’m the Development Manager for a nonprofit called Reading Partners, a K-5 literacy tutoring organization working to close the reading achievement gap.
• What do you miss about the English Department? My favorite memory from the English Department is the opportunity I had to form strong bonds with professors. The English Department is full of kind, brilliant mentors who have done so much to shape who I am today. And I miss Jan, who is the greatest person.
• Any advice for English majors? Writing is a very real skill that is applicable to many professional settings, use it to prove English Majors are highly employable. Build relationships with your professors, and stay in touch with them when you graduate.