INTERVIEW WITH ASHLEY ROBINSON (PH.D. ’16), FOUNDER/LEAD STORYTELLER OF INTERROBANG

INTERVIEW WITH ASHLEY ROBINSON (PH.D. ’16), FOUNDER/LEAD STORYTELLER OF INTERROBANG

Thinking about starting up your own company with your Ph.D. in English? You first might want to hear from someone who’s already done it. In our interview with Ashley Robinson (Ph.D. ’16), founder and lead storyteller of Interrobang, she explains why she decided to go for an alt-ac career as an entrepreneur, how her skills from graduate school have (indeed) come in handy, what the biggest challenges have been, and how she still manages to nurture her love of literature on the side.

FROM THE U OF A – TO TEXAS A&M – TO CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH: AN INTERVIEW WITH ALUM (M.A. ’11) DR. RENE H. TREVIÑO

FROM THE U OF A – TO TEXAS A&M – TO CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH: AN INTERVIEW WITH ALUM (M.A. ’11) DR. RENE H. TREVIÑO

For many, an English M.A. serves well as a terminal degree. For others, like Dr. Rene H. Treviño (M.A. ’11), an M.A. is a stepping stone to a doctoral program and a tenure-track position. After graduating from the U of A, Rene completed his Ph.D. in English at Texas A&M and then was hired as an Assistant Professor with the Department of English at California State University, Long Beach. In his blog profile, he discusses completing the M.A. thesis option, transitioning to another institution for his doctoral studies, choosing his dissertation topic, going on the tenure-track job market, and “let[ting] go of perfectionism” to stay productive and happy in his academic career.

STAYING IN THE STATE: ALUM AMY SCHMIDT (PH.D. ’11) TALKS ABOUT NAVIGATING A CAREER AS AN ARKANSAS ACADEMIC

STAYING IN THE STATE: ALUM AMY SCHMIDT (PH.D. ’11) TALKS ABOUT NAVIGATING A CAREER AS AN ARKANSAS ACADEMIC

Since graduating with her Ph.D. from the U of A in 2011, Amy Schmidt has taught at two other institutions of higher education in Arkansas. Earlier this spring, she was hired as a tenure-track professor at Williams Baptist College, yet another in-state school (in northeast Arkansas). Pursuing jobs only in Arkansas has been challenging, but, as Amy points out in this month’s blog profile, teaching at smaller schools within the borders of the state has likewise benefited her both personally and professionally.

PLANNING TO PURSUE AN INTERNATIONAL CAREER? ALUM AMY HODGES (PH.D. ’12) TALKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES WORKING ABROAD

PLANNING TO PURSUE AN INTERNATIONAL CAREER? ALUM AMY HODGES (PH.D. ’12) TALKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES WORKING ABROAD

Amy Hodges (Ph.D. ’12) currently works at the Texas A&M University at Qatar as both an Instructional Assistant Professor in the Liberal Arts Program and the campus’s Writing Across the Curriculum Coordinator. We recently caught up with Amy to ask if she could offer feedback on a number of issues related to pursuing an international career with a graduate degree in English. Read her blog profile, which provides wonderfully detailed, helpful responses to our questions as well as several pictures from her travels around the globe!

M.A. ALUMNI TALK ABOUT THEIR CAREERS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

M.A. ALUMNI TALK ABOUT THEIR CAREERS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

On Monday, November 6th, five of our M.A. alumni spoke on a Graduate Students in English (GSE) professionalization panel about their careers in secondary education. In addition to serving on the panel, several speakers contributed written responses for our alumni blog, describing their biggest challenges as well as their best experiences, so far, teaching students in Arkansas junior and senior high schools.

About This Site

This site is dedicated to sharing information about the various jobs that our English M.A. and Ph.D. students have acquired after graduation, as well as those individuals’ unique experiences in securing such positions.

Specifically, we seek to

 
  • acknowledge the professional achievements of former students
  • help our current students learn more about their career options, and
  • inform prospective students of how marketable our graduate degrees in English can be.
 
While our initial aim is to publish at least one graduate alum’s profile a month, we eventually hope to post other forms of alumni accomplishments (e.g., publication news, awards, promotions, community service work, etc.); links to relevant articles about the job prospects for graduate students in English (and the humanities in general); a list of employers (both academic and nonacademic) who have hired our graduates; and our percentages of annual alumni job placement.