Student & Alumni News – Page 2

January 16, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Student Spotlight: Christian Woodley

For students and faculty at all levels, conferences offer the opportunity to present scholarship, learn about others’ work, and connect with fellow scholars. Recently, MAWRD student Christian Woodley presented original work at the National Communication Association Annual Convention held in Washington, D.C. His research, which he presented as part of a panel on business communication, focused on the various ways online meetings impact interpersonal dynamics. Beyond his presentation, Christian connected with scholars, explored the city, and gained perspective on academic conferences more broadly. Read on to hear more about Christian’s experience and his advice to students considering similar opportunities! Grace

November 9, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Event Recap: National Day on Writing 2023

Each year, October 20 marks National Day on Writing. This year, WRD teamed up with the Writing Center to celebrate, while starting conversations on campus about the writing we each do in our everyday lives. This celebration was established by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) “to draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft.” On October 19, WRD students and faculty as well as Writing Center staff hosted a three-hour tabling event in Arts and Letters Hall on DePaul’s Lincoln Park

October 31, 2023 Leo Swearingen

Student Spotlight: Nan Denette

This October, MAWRD student Nan Denette presented at a conference at the University of Memphis, discussing her findings on how we can use existential rhetoric to more effectively combat climate change. Learn more about her fascinating work through this exclusive interview, where she discusses not just her research but her experience presenting. What topic did you present on and what inspired you to present on it? My presentation was titled “Anthropos & Anthropocene: Existential Rhetorics in the Age of Ecological Disaster.” I focused on two fictional texts—Paradise Lost by John Milton and White Noise by Don DeLillo. Paradise Lost narrates

October 24, 2023 Leo Swearingen

A Closer Look: Updates from the WRD Equity Committee

In the aftermath of the 2020 killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of the police, a collective cry for action resonated within the Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse Department. Motivated by a poignant letter written by concerned students and alumni, the WRD department was called upon to actively champion diversity, equity, and inclusion. This compelling call to action culminated in the establishment of the WRD Equity Committee. The Committee’s Goals: Since its inception, the Equity Committee has emerged with a series of goals aimed at transforming the WRD department’s approach to antiracism and inclusivity. Some of

September 28, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Introducing MAWRD’s Newest Cohort – Autumn 2023

This quarter, MAWRD welcomes seven new students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Take a moment to get to know each student in their own words! Eryk Markiewicz is a first-year student in the MAWRD program. He is currently working at the DePaul Writing Center and also does some work at a bakery near his house. He has lived in Chicago basically his whole life, and he does a lot of writing and music spamming on his Instagram story. Maya Muschitz is a first-year MAWRD student as well as the Communications Writer/Scholarship & Events Administrator for the DePaul College of

June 6, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Event Recap: Pilsen Mural Rhetorical Tour

In May, the Equity Committee and Student Community Committee hosted a walking tour through Pilsen to explore the history and visual rhetoric of the neighborhood’s vibrant murals. The walk was led by DePaul History professor Dr. Juan Mora-Torres, whose research and teaching interests include Latin American history with an emphasis on the history of the border. Professor Mora-Torres is an editor for the non-profit bilingual online monthly magazine “El BeiSmAn” based out of Pilsen as well, and he sits on the committee of DePaul’s Center for Latino Research/Latin American and Latino Studies Program. The tour began outside of the Lozano

May 31, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Event Recap: WRD Professionalization Panel

Last quarter, WRD”s Student Community Committee hosted a Professionalization Panel for students to hear from WRD graduates who work as professional writers about their lives post-graduation. As Dr. Michael Gallaway, who facilitated the panel shared, “The goal is to talk about what life is like after you leave DePaul and after you have received your degree from the WRD Department, including what kind of things you might be doing and some of the intricacies of professional writing jobs.” WRD undergraduate and graduate students joined the panel on Zoom, which included three speakers: one DePaul Career Center staff member and two

May 23, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Updates from WRD’s Equity Committee

This year, the WRD Equity Committee is demonstrating more commitment to the students, staff, and faculty of the department. Through events, a public whiteboard, grant-funded research, and additional projects, the committee is facilitating conversations on equity and striving to make the department more inclusive and diverse. Read on to learn about these ongoing projects. The mission of the Equity Committee is to create practices to embrace and sustain DEI initiatives in the department as a way to respond to the wider WRD community’s exigencies. WRD Equity Committee member Dr. Maria Prikhodko Community Whiteboard During each week of the Winter Quarter,

March 15, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Alumni Perspectives: 2023 CCCC Convention

The 2023 CCCC Convention, themed “Doing Hope in Desperate Times,” took place in Chicago from February 15-18. Attendees joined the conference from around the country – and world – among whom were several WRD students, alumni, and faculty! WRD alumni Maddy Crozier (BA 2018; MA 2020) and Krissy Wilson (MA 2018) both presented original research at this year’s conference. Crozier is currently a third-year PhD student in Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics at The University of Tennessee Knoxville, where she teaches first-year composition courses. Wilson is a Senior Learning Designer at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies and an adjunct instructor at

March 1, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Student Perspectives: 2023 CCCC Convention

After several years of online and hybrid conventions, the Conference on College Composition and Communication hosted a primarily in-person convention this year in Chicago. Themed “Doing Hope in Desperate Times,” the 2023 CCCC Convention took place February 15-18. Many WRD students, alumni, and faculty attended, sharing their scholarship in various presentation formats. Here, MAWRD students Nan Denette and Maggie Rothrock offer insights on their convention experiences as first-time attendees and presenters. The Big Picture For both students, their first CCCC Convention yielded exciting ideas and new opportunities. Denette shared, “I was (pleasantly!) surprised how large the conference was, both in