How did majoring in English prepare you for your career?

A major in English provided me with writing skills and an appreciation for a good story. As a professor, writing and research are core components of my work and are vital to my success. As a counselor, hearing and understanding the stories of my clients' lives helped me as I sought to guide them toward finding answers and meaning. Both of these skill sets can be traced to my innate love of language and stories, which my degree in English made focused, informed and professional.

How has majoring in English enriched your life?

My English degree hasn't made me a grammar fanatic in spoken words with family and friends, but I can be pretty serious about grammar and style in my own writing and in the writing of others. Believe it or not, this is actually fun to me! Also, I'm very good at literature trivia - what's not fun about that?

What advice or insight do you have for VSU alumni and students interested in your career field?

Majoring in English always felt as if I was pursuing in a formal way the content and ideas I would have pursued even if they were not my major. I remember feeling so energized and enlightened in my classes. My career path started as a high-school English teacher, then school counselor, and now professor and counselor educator. My advice is to trust your innate drives for the subjects that energize and enlighten you. You'll never go to work; you'll spend your days pursuing your passions.