by Dalton Greene ’22
Here at The Words, we really cherish the connections we build within the English department. Bright-eyed first years and storied seniors, creative writers and literature connoisseurs, coffee lovers and coffee lovers in the making, all are welcome and valued here. But our close relationships don’t just include current students—we also love to stay in touch with those members of our community who have graduated and gone off into the world beyond Old Main 2. I recently had the opportunity to chat with three former English majors and The Words editors—Laura Berglund ‘20, Alex Harrington ‘19, and Sophie Hilker ‘20—about their time at Mac, what they’re up to now, and, of course, the newsletter we all know and love.
Laura Berglund ‘20 majored in English Literature at Macalester, won the hearts of all who came into contact with her, and is now living and working in South Minneapolis (where she is presumably doing the same).
What was your experience with the Macalester English department like?
My goodness, the English Department is such a special place! I knew I wanted to be an English Major after taking Intro to Shakespeare with Professor Geng my first year. The hour and a half always flew by because we never ran out of ideas to discuss as a class. I started working for The Words my sophomore year with the encouragement of a former faculty member, Professor Wang Ping, as a way to connect with the department community and to do work that reflected my personal and career goals.
Was there a particular class or professor that really shaped your time as a student?
I’m incredibly grateful to have met Professor Geng toward the beginning of my time at Macalester. Before she was my advisor, she connected me with a rising senior advisee with interests similar to mine and has continued to support me through a variety of academic and professional endeavors since.
What are you up to now? How did your time at Macalester influence your post-graduate experiences?
I’m living with five other women as a part of the St. Joseph Worker Program (SJWP). It’s a year of service program that the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet (CSJ) in St Paul created around 20 years ago. The Sisters are located a few miles from Macalester—they founded St Catherine University in 1905, and the SSJ and St. Kate’s campuses are still side-by-side on Randolph Ave. Through the SJWP, I’m working for the nonprofit Mary’s Pence. It’s an international NGO based in St. Paul that funds women-led community organizations in the US and Canada and women entrepreneurs in Mexico and Central America. Most of my work is centered around communication and grant research. I think the networks of classmates, friends, coworkers, and co-leaders I built with my peers, alongside relationships with faculty and staff, became the foundation for my post-graduate life. I know how to work really hard, but I also know when and how to lean on the people in my communities.
What advice would you give to current English majors or minors at Mac?
Embrace vulnerability! I connected with Kate Larson at Career Exploration early on in my Mac career, and this relationship gave me confidence to name who I want to become while acknowledging the obstacles I’ve faced without shame. As creative writers and literature fiends, we have a lot to offer, and there are people out there who can see and name these strengths and empower you to do the same.
Alex Harrington ‘19 majored in Creative Writing and Media & Cultural Studies, minored in Russian literature, and earned the title Princess of the English department while at Mac. She was born and raised in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and she’s now living it up in Philadelphia.
What was your experience with the Macalester English department like?
I figured I’d major in English for most of my life because reading and writing were the least dreadful subjects in school. By the time I got to Mac, the only thing I could settle on was Creative Writing, so I decided to go from there. The English department itself really sold me, though. My first work study assignment coming onto campus was with Jan Beebe [the department coordinator] as an Office Assistant. Jan introduced me to Old Main 2 during my first year orientation, and once I was in she couldn’t get rid of me until I finished the degree and they kicked me out. The English department as a work place was a really formative experience for me, and I knew I had to stick around, so I got involved with The Words as early as I could. I remember writing some articles as a contributing editor late in my sophomore year, and then I joined the staff as an Associate Editor my junior year. Senior year I was lucky enough to be co-Senior Newsletter Editor with Jen Katz, who I still love. I could talk about the English department for pages. So many of my favorite friendships were formed and solidified there, and I was privy to a ridiculous amount of cool things and delicious snacks.
Was there a particular class or professor that really shaped your time as a student?
I loved Professor Amy Elkins’ Beyond the Pale class. Professor Elkins took intentional time to build a rapport in class, which I think is something that is so important with small class sizes like Mac has. The energy in a classroom makes or breaks a class, and Professor Elkins did everything she could to make the energy of the class jovial but respectful. I loved the discussions in that class, as well as the almost radically intertextual lens she encouraged us to apply to our studies – for my final project in Beyond the Pale, I did two different festival inspired makeup looks on either side of my face. She definitely showed me that anything can be worthy of study, and if it’s not already the subject of study, we should always ask why not.
What are you up to now? How did your time at Macalester influence your post-graduate experiences?
Currently I work at ACCT Philly, Philadelphia’s only open-intake animal shelter. ACCT stands for Animal Care and Control Team, we’re animal control for Philadelphia, so I’ve been an essential worker throughout the pandemic. I started doing intake and customer service last year, then moved into doing adoptions part time. More recently I’ve become a full time adoptions counselor. Soon I’ll be transitioning to work in the Lifesaving/Rescue office, where I’ll be promoting and transferring urgently at risk animals to our local rescue partners. I’m excited to be able to combine my current job with my experience from The Words to promote our pups. To be honest, I started the job as a way to pass the time and jump back into a world away from academia, but now I’ve found myself really entranced in the world of animal welfare and behavior. I’m still trying to take it easy, so I’ve been filling my spare time with crocheting, training my dog Arthur, and fostering kittens.
What advice would you give to current English majors or minors at Mac?
I struggled a lot with my mental health while at Mac, and I loudly and proudly have ADHD that made deadlines and schoolwork particularly challenging for me. My experience at Macalester taught me that my worth was determined not by what I couldn’t do, but what I could do. In my current and daily life, I focus on what I can do. It sounds simple, but I promise it hasn’t been. Another thing is that studying English, people tried to tell me that “degrees don’t matter” as a way to assure me that I could major in English but still be able to do something other than teach. This advice was hard to hear while I was in the midst of earning a degree that did very much matter to me. It was advice that felt really loud in the back of my mind while I was struggling last year to figure out how to make money post graduation. I felt tied to doing something related to my “field,” but all of the relevant opportunities I found felt empty. Looking at entry level jobs struck me with dread because entry level implies you’re starting at the bottom to get your foot in the door, and none of the entry level jobs I could find were doors I even wanted to knock on. I kind of fell into my current job because I knew that I liked animals, dogs made me happy, and I could start from there. A couple of months down the line, I added the executive director of my shelter on LinkedIn and found out she’d been an English major in undergrad too. As long as you feel genuinely interested in what you’re studying, the degree does matter.
Sophie Hilker ‘20 majored in Creative Writing and single-handedly taught the current editors everything we know about publishing a successful edition of The Words. A converted audiobook addict, she is now living in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
What was your experience with the Macalester English department like?
I became a Words editor the second semester of my junior year after attending English events regularly since the second semester of my first year at Mac. Because I was joining the student worker team relatively late (compared to everyone else on The Words staff at the time), I worried a bit about how I would fit in and engage with everyone when there were already existing dynamics. Thankfully, those worries were all for naught. My experience working in the English department was overwhelmingly positive and the community that the student workers, professors, and the inimitable Jan Beebe fostered was more warm, welcoming, and wonderful than any I’ve encountered since. I am eternally grateful to Jan for recruiting me and introducing me more deeply to such a pure and positive environment.
Was there a particular class or professor that really shaped your time as a student?
I came to Mac intending to be a Political Science and/or Spanish major, but that all changed once I took Prose Poetry with Professor Wang Ping. I was exposed to so many incredibly talented writers in that course and this immersion in the craft left me feeling so inspired and empowered that I never wanted to think about anything else. Even though the class required a prerequisite that I had not yet fulfilled, Professor Ping welcomed me in and encouraged me to take advantage of my outsider perspective, validating my different interpretations and contributions. She taught me that everything is poetry, that we live and breathe poetry, and that simplicity and innateness of poetry made it feel less intimidating and less pretentious—my first lesson in unlearning academic gatekeeping that has guided my own writing ever since.
What are you up to now? How did your time at Macalester influence your post-graduate experiences?
Right now I’m working as a City Carrier Assistant at the Elway Post Office, delivering mail in the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods. My Macalester experience made me realize how much I value community, so when I graduated I knew I wanted to do something in service of the populace that gave me so much. Given the pandemic and election season, working for the Post Office seemed like a timely and COVID-safe way to keep folks connected, facilitate participation in democracy, and get to know my neighborhood a bit better.
What advice would you give to current English majors or minors at Mac?
Take a Creative Writing course even and especially if it seems scary. Also, try to find a little time every day to read for fun—your writing and your wellbeing with benefit because of it.
Many thanks to these Words superstars for their time and insights!