Where are they going?
English Majors - Class of 2008
Leslie Abell - I've been hired as a summer intern at the ELCA churchwide offices in Chicago in their World Hunger department. Then in August, I'm off to Antarctica to work on a National Science Foundation base.
Amy Behrens - After a summer of canoe guiding in the Boundary Waters, I will be participating in a year-long graduate naturalist program at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.
Amanda Bolland - Next year, I will be starting my master's degree in library science at the University of Wisconsin.
Peter Farrell - Next year I'll be working full time as a City of Lakes AmeriCorps tutor/mentor in Minneapolis. I'm also planning on applying to law schools in the fall with the hope of eventually practicing in the public sector.
David Henke - I was hired at the Northfield News as the Arts/Education reporter, so I'll be pursuing articles and taking photos around town next year. After that, I might look at some graduate programs for journalism, but I don't have anything concrete lined up yet.
Julie Howard - I am becoming a waitress in Portland, Oregon.
Eric Jackman - I'm heading back to Portland, OR for the summer and either working or volunteering while, more importantly, reading the books I didn't have time for during the school year. In June, I'll attend another AIPAC conference in D.C. to learn about why the U.S. continues to support Israel. Last year, Barack Obama and I were verbally abused by protesters as we walked along the sidewalk to dinner with Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney. Who knows what will happen this time around. At the end of the summer, I will be moving to Newton, MA to attend Boston College Law School. Hopefully, I'll get a job out of it; preferably, one that lets me sleep at night and/or get out of debt before I die.
Emily Koester - I'm joining an Americorps program called Admission Possible that helps underserved high school students with the college application process. I'll be living in the Cities with a bunch of fantastic Oles!
Heidi Morse - I'll be heading out to Santa Cruz, CA to start a Literature Ph.D. program at the University of California. I plan to focus on 20th century American poetry. Maybe I will also buy roller blades and learn how to surf. After that, who knows?
Katie Murchison - I'll be teaching English at a Lutheran girls high school in Arusha, Tanzania starting in September...and after that who knows!
Ariel Nereson - This summer I will be an intern at the Guthrie Theater in their Literary/Dramaturgy Department. When fall rolls around, I'll be in Buffalo, NY, starting work on my Master's degree at SUNY Buffalo.
Courtney Parshall - After graduation, I'm marrying my high-school sweetheart, Brandon, in June. Then, I'm returning to St. Olaf for a couple of weeks to work on the St. Olaf Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts. In August, Brandon and I will move on to Luther Seminary campus in St. Paul where I will begin work on MDiv degree so that I can become an ordained pastor.
Karrin Pearson - Next year I will be working at The Fund for Public Interest Research, a branch of the U.S. PIRG. As an assistant canvas director in New Brunswick NJ, my home state, I will hire between 10-40 people to work with me and the canvas director on progressive campaigns for the environment and human rights. The Fund works primarily with the Sierra Club, Human Rights Campaign and U.S. PIRG to fight for better legislation on pollution, forest clear-cutting, and hate crimes. I will live at home to save money, unless the commute proves to be inconvenient.
Nicole Peterson - As of June 1st I'll be working full time for Machine Records, an independent record label in Wisconsin. I'll be working with retail, booking, PR, radio promotions, tour management, and almost anything else you can think of! I will be wearing many hats. The artists I will be working for include Hayward Williams, Martha Berner, Cabin, Stukenberg, and Sunday Runners. I will be working on concerts all over the US and Europe! It's all very exciting. I also get the perk of living in Lake Geneva in a beautiful old home just two blocks from the lake, and I get my own office too! I'm going to try and use my connections to bring better acts to St. Olaf in the coming years!
Miriam Samuelson - I will be working at St. Olaf's Center for Experiential Learning as the Lilly Vocational Intern.
Elizabeth Sanders - After a summer at home, I will begin graduate school in the Ph.D. in English program at the University of Iowa. Maybe one day I will be back at St. Olaf - except this time, I'll be teaching the classes!
Becca Seibels - I will be working for Target Corporate Headquarters in the Technology Leadership Program starting in late June. The program rotates through the infrastructure, development, and support sectors of Target Technology Services on a path toward a position in management. I will probably also be taking a lot of naps until I get used to waking up at 5:30 every morning instead of 9:00.
Emily Sonnesyn - This summer I will work as a counselor at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in Montana. Then in the fall I'll come back to Minneapolis to student teach in an elementary classroom. In January I'll be officially licensed to teach K-8, with a Communications and Language Arts speciality for middle school. At that point I'll be looking for a teaching job, offers welcome.
Corrine Thomas - After graduation, I will be working full-time with a small company in Burnsville while simultaneously applying to graduate schools. If all goes as planned, I hope to be in school again by the fall of 2009 and upon completion of post-graduate work--probably in English literature:)--pursue a career as a college professor.
Nicole Wendt - I will be volunteering for AmeriCorps, tutoring and mentoring students in one of the Minneapolis school district's High Schools. Afterwards I want to go back to the University of Aberdeen (where I spent my Junior year) and earn a Masters in American Literature. Then...
I am going to become Vice President of the entire world (President would be too stressful), solve world hunger, eradicate poverty, and produce my own line of designer handbags made entirely of minerals extracted from moon rocks I will collect myself.
