Justin Baer
English Education

Blake Bergeson
Theatre & Writing Minor

Brian Blankenship
Writing & Theatre

Kendra Brown
Writing Major

Carol Colby
Writing Major

Sarah Corso
Literature Major

Kathryn Cryns
Writing Major

Ryne Inman
Writing & Political Science

Robert Irving
Writing Major

Christopher Linden
Pol. Science & Writing Minor

Amber McKinney
Literature Major

Nicole Piontek
Writing Major

Sarah Scharnett
English Education

Patrick Steadman
Literature Major

David Matt Wheeler
Writing Major

John Wright
Writing Major

Nicole Piontek

Basically, I’m a twenty-one year old senior of average height and weight. I have an infant son named Jonathan. I enjoy 80’s rock bands, like Poison and Guns n’ Roses, but also like more contemporary groups, like Buckcherry and Queens of the Stone Age. I collect Tiffany glassworks and garden my spare time. I also like to go canoeing and hiking. In the next year, I plan to continue working at Texas Roadhouse and stay home with my son while I submit resumes over the internet in order to find a “real” job.

What did you like best about English studies at Millikin?
My favorite English course at Millikin was Comtemplation Writing with Professor Braniger because it taught me a lot about myself and really made me ponder my motivations for some of my past actions. I also enjoyed English classes at Millikin because of the small class sizes, which really helped to build personal relationships with the professors.

Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors are Chuck Palanhuik, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates and Celia Rivenbark.

What advice do you have for English majors?
My advice to English majors is to begin reviewing the employment options for English mojors very early on in their academic career.

John J. Wright

John Wright is a fun-loving, multi-faceted graduate of the school of English-Writing. He minored in communication and hopes to utilize his Millikin education as he pursues a career in film, be it writing, directing, or editing.

What are your plans for the next year and the future?
Next year I plan to apply for Graduate School at Columbia Chicago and begin working in the film industry.

What did you like best about English studies at Millikin?
The Art of Publishing class (Bronze Man Books) was an incredible experience for me, and I think it would benefit students of any major. It is real world business experience, and demands a lot of growth from the student, which is great. I feel more prepared for “the real world” thanks to this class specifically. I’ve learned dedication, individual drive, and how to work successfully with other students and I’ve had so many fun experiences that I’ll never forget.

Who are your favorite authors?
Victor Hugo, L. Frank Baum, Jeff Smith

What do you like to write?
Scripts for film, specifically comedies.

What is your advice for future English majors?
It’s cliché, but write. Not just in class. Write for yourself, write for fun, write with your friends. I think you’ll find that those pieces will be your most favorite.

Amber McKinney

I grew up in Niantic, IL. I currently work at Wal-Mart in the vision center, but plan to seek more fitting employment now that school is done. As a literature major I obviously love to read, and am slowly learning to enjoy writing almost as much.

What are your plans for the next year and the future?
My plans for the immediate future are to take a break. I am looking to save some money before I decide on Grad school. Beyond that, I am not certain.

What did you like best about English studies at Millikin?
I really like the diversity of literature classes that were offered. It is great to be able to devote an entire class to J.R.R. Tolkien. I also enjoyed my writing classes too. Contemplation Writing with Dr. Braniger really made writing fun, and Web Publishing with Dr. O’Conner really challenged me creatively.

Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors are the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, Margaret Atwood, J.R.R. Tolkien, Victor Hugo, Toni Morrison, and Langston Hughes.

What do you like to write?
I prefer writing for myself.

What is your advice for future English majors?
Do not be a procrastinator and never sell back your literature books. Be open to new ideas and recognize the infinite wisdom of your professors. You should also join Sigma Tau Delta if you can. It is a great way to get in touch with other English majors.

Sarah Scharnett

I was born and raised in Decatur and attended Decatur public schools, therefore promising myself that I would not attend a four-year university in Decatur (Millikin, of course), but would certainly get away from my hometown as soon as financially possible. Because my mother was a teacher and I saw how little recognition, not to mention money, she had always been given for her hard work, I also decided at that young age that teaching was one of only a few careers that I could completely rule out as an option for myself. However, after attending Richland Community College in Decatur for my associate’s degree and then moving away for my first major job promotion in sales management, I quickly reconsidered and moved back home only a year later. Neither my initial move from home nor my original educational focus (journalism) were total loss, however, because it was at this crucial point in my life that I realized my true passion for teaching. The very first education class I took at Millikin (Introduction to American Education, taught by Dr. Jason Helfer) solidified my decision to teach and inspired me to work as hard as necessary for this goal. While I still look around my hometown and notice a distinctly negative morale from many, and while my internship and student teaching experiences did nothing to contradict my initial assumption that teachers were underappreciated as well as underpaid, I’m no longer convinced that those reasons are good enough . . . because I now see that there is no better way than through teaching that we can do our part to change our cities, and hopefully, to even change the world one student at a time.

What are your plans for the next year and the future?
I will either take another semester to get in a few extra classes and work part time, or I will do my best to obtain a job as a secondary English teacher in the Decatur or surrounding area public schools.

What did you like best about English studies at Millikin?
My favorite part of my education at Millikin has been the fantastic professors who have continued to challenge and inspire me, ultimately helping me to see that even if I can affect only one person the way many of them have affected me, teaching (and especially teaching English) is absolutely worth it.

Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors are Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Shakespeare, and Renee Altson.

What do you like to write?
I think the question for me is…what don’t I like to write? And the answer would be anything that involves tremendous creativity such as stories or poems.

What is your advice for future English majors?
Actually read everything that has been assigned. It may be time-consuming and in some cases very mentally frustrating, but you will thank yourself later—not just because you’re grades will be better, but because, cheesy as it may sound, it really will enrich your understanding of yourself and the rest of the world.

Kendra Brown

I was born in Tennessee, but have spent the majority of my life living in Texas. I’ve always had a passion for books, in fact as a child I was always in trouble for reading at the dinner table—and for reading in church! This constant reading led me to discover my love of writing, and I chose to major in English because of that.

What are your plans for the next year and the future?
My plans include getting married (March 12, 2009! 289 days and counting!) and working to pay off student loans. I just accepted a position at the local PetsMart, which should allow me plenty of time to write on the side.

What did you like best about English studies at Millikin?
I really enjoyed Poe in the Cemetery (or Poe in the Pit, like it was this last year) because I get cheap thrills from scaring myself, and I loved every creative writing and reading roundtable class I ever took.

Who are your favorite authors?
Barb & J.C. Hendee, Sandra Brown, Nora Roberts, Stephen King, Leslie Schnur.

What do you like to write?
Fiction, mostly science-fiction or mystery mixed with romance, although I’ve been trying my hand at historical fiction lately.

What is your advice for future English majors?
Save everything you write! You never know when you might need it, or if an old idea might be due for an overhaul.