Cressida Richards, one of the department’s first publicity interns, tracked down busy senior Elizabeth Reizinger to discuss some of her experiences in the department as an English major.
Tell us a bit about your experience with the English major here at UMass. What were some of your favorite classes? Any favorite professors?
I love being an English major. The classes I've enjoyed the most, and have had the best discussions in, are the ones I've taken with Professor Emily Lordi. The one outlier would be my Advanced Programming class I took as part of the Professional Writing and Technical Communication certificate (PWTC).
Tell us more about your experiences with the PWTC specialization.
I'm pursuing PWTC and Creative Writing specializations. I've told everyone that taking PWTC courses has been the most rewarding decision of my educational career. They're very challenging, but I've discovered something I'm passionate about and it has been preparing me for (hopefully) a successful career path. It's also the most supportive group of instructors and peers that I’ve ever encountered.
What are your post-graduation plans? What do you hope to do with your English degree?
My career goals have changed a lot over the course of the past few years. As of right now, I'm looking heavily into technical writing and maybe even web design careers. My dream job is to be a Technical Writer for Google.
What is your most significant "take away" from your experience at UMass?
My most significant take-away from UMass is the experience I've gained from editing UMass's undergraduate literary journal, Jabberwocky. While I've decided not to pursue a publishing career post-graduation, I've learned so much about collaboration and teamwork while working as both a Poetry Editor and Editor-in-Chief. I've worked with an amazing staff for the entirety of my undergrad career and have gotten the opportunity to share numerous undergraduate students' artwork and writing. Shameless publicity plug: For inquiries regarding becoming a staff member of Jabberwocky 2017 or submitting work in the Spring, please contact @email.
Now, the obligatory final question: what is your favorite book?
I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak is my favorite novel, and Bloodchild by Octavia Butler is my favorite collection of short stories.