Adrian College Department of English Studies and Journalism

11/13/2023

This Monday, we highlight senior capstone student Nora Richard. 📚 Nora is pursuing a double major in English and Communication. On campus, she is involved in Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sigma Tau Delta, TRIO Excel, Marching Band, Lambda Pi Eta, Mortar Board, and NSLS. She also currently runs the social media for English studies here at Adrian College (Hello, this is her!)

Nora enjoys studying literature and discussing interpretations and plots amongst her peers. She also says she enjoys the mechanics of writing.

In the future, she plans to pursue a job in marketing and public relations. She says her English degree will “help me to formulate strong copywriting and portray my ideas concisely.”

🎉Thank you for your contribution to the English Department, and best of luck to you in your future!

11/02/2023

Today’s book quote is from Fahrenheit 451. It reminds us of the fragility of life and emphasizes the importance of living fully.

10/31/2023

This Monday we highlight senior capstone student Regan Dawes. 📚 Regan is pursuing an English major with a minor in Religion. On campus, she is involved in Alpha Sigma Alpha, Concert Band, and Orchestra.

When asked what she enjoys about English, she says “I enjoy the variety of classes I have been able to take in English. I've really enjoyed being able to be creative with my writing.”

In the future, Regan plans to use her English skills to go into the world of editing and publishing.

Regan recommends the book Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo because she says “It is extremely well thought out and written and it has great characters and character relationships”

🎉Congratulations Regan! We wish you good luck in your future endeavors.

10/26/2023

This week’s book recommendation is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It takes place in 1939 N**i Germany.

The summary is as follows: By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from N**i book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.”

The book has 4.39 stars out of 5 on Goodreads. Have you ever read the Book Thief?

10/24/2023

Today we highlight senior capstone student Allison TenHove. 📚Allison is majoring in English and Secondary Education; after graduating from Adrian, she plans to teach English Language Arts at the secondary education level.

On campus, she is a member of the NCAA softball team as well as the Adrian College Aspiring Educators of Michigan ( ACAEM) club.

She has enjoyed pursuing English here at AC due to the connections she has been able to make with the professors of the department. She states that have their own style but their knowledge has given her the opportunity to learn a lot. She loves that she has been able to have “a flexible path in the department as far as classes” and has not only been able to take courses she needs, but also the ones she is interested in.

Allison recommends the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak because of the content and perspective it contains. She says “I have gone back to this book over and over again, and it’s very entertaining and interesting.”

🎉 Congratulations on your achievements, and best of luck to you, Allison!

10/20/2023

Happy National Day on Writing!!

Located in Caine in front of the lounge, we want you to tell us why YOU write. Fill out a sticky note for the board and/or write your masterpiece in the journal.

10/17/2023

This Monday, we highlight senior capstone student Maria Risner. 📚 Maria is pursuing a major in English studies and a minor in Social Work. On campus, she is involved in Sigma Tau Delta, TRIO Excel, Welcome Week, Mortar Board, and The College World.

Maria enjoys analyzing and investigating works that interest and inspire her. She states, “I then like to compare the work I analyzed to my own understanding of it and expand on ideas already established and ideas not yet considered.”

Upon her graduation, Maria plans to use her skills in the High School/College/Academic setting. She hopes to become a college/academic advisor helping students set goals and achieve their aspirations during/after their educational careers.

She recommends her favorite book, the historical fiction piece The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The Book Thief follows a young girl growing up in Germany during WWII with Death as the narrator. Maria says, “This book takes on a very unique perspective of the experiences of those who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust and WWII. I think the book has the ability to emotionally move any reader and it can encourage readers to think more about this part of history.”

🎉 Congratulations Maria on all of your accomplishments, and we wish you all the best in your future!

10/05/2023

This week’s book recommendation is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

It takes place in late-19th-century England. The Goodreads summary states “As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world.”

It is rated a 4.12 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

10/02/2023

This Monday we highlight senior capstone student Elisa Cox. Elisa is pursuing a double major in English and Exercise Science. She is a part of the women’s wrestling team here at AC.

She enjoys creative writing and hopes to be able to use her writing as a way to make an impact on the world around her. In the future, she hopes to become an English tutor, helping other students with their own English studies.

She recommends the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury due to its “beautiful use of language and messages all throughout” and how it relates to our modern day society. She mentions that it is ironically on the banner book list, despite the book discussing censorship through forced burning of books.

Thank you, Elisa for your contributions to our department, and we wish you the best in the future.

09/27/2023

Highlighted recently on our page, senior English student Paszionique Kelly recently published an article to The College World Newspaper discussing the benefits of enrolling in theater courses even as a non-theater major.

Pasz states that while enrolled in her History of Musical Theater Class, she has been appreciative of the calm class environment, the interpretation and expansion of knowledge of musical productions, and the representation of new cultures.

Check out Pasz's full article on The College World Website by following the link attached!

AC’s theater department is quite small, but full of many talented students. However, not many people know this due to assumptions that theater classes aren’t for non-theater people

09/25/2023

Each Monday, we will be highlighting our current English Capstone students! This week, we highlight Paszionique Kelly.

Paszionique is a senior capstone student majoring in English. On campus, she is involved in the Crochet and Knit Club, Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society), and S.T.E.P.S..

She loves the endless creativity that comes with exploring different forms of writing and literature! In the future, she wants to publish some of her own stories, screen write, write narratives for video games, and write plays.

She recommends the book Slappy’s Revenge by R.L. Stine because “even as adults, we need to have moments where we go back to child-like wonder. It makes life more enjoyable!”

Thank you for your contribution to the program, and best of luck to you in the future, Paszionique!

09/18/2023

Today we highlight Julia Gurney, one of our senior English students. Julia Gurney is double majoring in English and Graphic Design. On campus, she is involved in the Crochet and Knit Club, and she also works in the Writing Center as a peer writing consultant.

When asked about the importance of English in her life, she responded by saying: “English allows me to be many things at once. In high school, people often asked me what I wanted to do as a career and I never really had an answer. I had too many interests to nail down one for the rest of my life. Pursuing English, through writing, allows me to be anything and everything I want to be, whenever the mood strikes. I can be an architect living in NYC, a scholar studying at Oxford, an isolated rancher on the plains of Montana, or a forensic scientist in New Orleans, depending on what I am writing, and that has granted me so much freedom. I love getting to experience my life through the different lenses that come along with writing.”

After graduation, Julia plans to use her English degree for the purpose of writing. She is thinking of entering the editing and publishing world by way of Design Management or book jacket design. She also hopes to publish some of her own written work.

Congratulations to you, Julia, and best of luck on all of your future endeavors.

05/06/2023

When prompted with an empty notebook and a sign encouraging students on the Caine terrace to “Write Something,” these are some of the doodles and messages that filled the paper. Interestingly, the most repeated word throughout was “love.”

To read more about this writing experiment, visit https://adriancollegeworld.wordpress.com/2023/05/04/love-prevails-a-comparison-of-a-writing-desk-at-adrian-college-and-the-university-of-michigan/

04/28/2023

Today we highlight one of our graduating Peer Writing Consultants: Iris Sorrell. Iris will graduate this Sunday as an environmental science and political science double major. Despite not pursuing a degree in English, Iris’s contributions to the department are to be recognized. Iris has worked in the Don Kleinsmith Writing Center as a Consultant for two years. Additionally, she has been involved on campus as the President of Delta Nu Kappa, a member of the pep band, an ABUZZ ambassador, and an Adrian College ambassador to the Michigan State Department

She says her favorite part about working in the Writing Center and taking English classes as a non-major is getting to read about research and subjects outside of science and political theory. She says “It's refreshing to read and write creative pieces and take a break from lab reports and science research.”

After graduation, Iris will be continuing her education at Indiana University, pursuing a dual Masters in public administration and environmental science. Her desire is to work in sustainable city planning. She claims that her experience in the English department and writing center will help her write legislation, plans, and lots of research papers.

Iris, congratulations on all of your accomplishments, and we wish you success in your future endeavors.

04/27/2023

Today we highlight one of our English seniors: Helena Mazzarella. Helena is graduating this Sunday with a major in English and a minor in journalism. During her time here, she has been a part of the Synchronized Skating Team, S.T.E.P.S. club, peer tutoring, Oxcart, and PALS. She has also served as Editor-in-Chief of The College World school newspaper, Sigma Tau Delta President, Mortar Board Philanthropy Chair, and Alpha Chi Secretary.

Helena says she enjoys pursuing English because “I have enjoyed learning how to use my voice to explore and write about topics that I am passionate about.” After graduation, she will be attending the University of Pittsburgh to study Composition in the Critical and Cultural Studies Ph.D. program. She will also be in pursuit of a Gender, Sexuality, and Woman’s Studies Ph.D. Certificate.

Helena states that she has been really into memoirs and collections of personal essays recently. She recommends "What My Mother and I Don't Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence," edited by Michele Filgate as a book she keeps coming back to because the fifteen stories in the book are so beautifully unique, but there are small pieces within each of them that seem almost universal.

Congratulations on your achievement here at Adrian College, and we wish you the best of luck in your future pursuits!

04/26/2023

Congratulations to Chancey and Rebecca for being initiated into Sigma Tau Delta last night. We are excited to watch you achieve excellence in the field of English! ⭐️

03/31/2023

Last week, members of Sigma Tau Delta visited Gaslight Village and read poetry with the residents. A big thank you to those who participated! 📝

03/24/2023

Yesterday, S.T.E.P.S, Mortar Board, and Sigma Tau Delta partnered to read stories to kindergarten students at Prairie Elementary to educate them about Woman’s History during Reading Month! 📚 What a fantastic opportunity!