Here’s an update on what some of our MA in NMS and MA in WRD students, graduates, and faculty members have been up to in the last six months!
MA in NMS Students and Alumni
Caroline Bank (2012) works in digital marketing and recently began to manage Halo Top Creamery’s digital marketing program in-house. She is focused on international expansion after Halo Top became the best-selling ice cream in America over the summer.
Kristi Bruno (2016) received a Forty Under 40 Award from Award Association Forum and USAE. Kristi was recognized for her professional accomplishments, commitment to the industry, leadership skills, and continued potential. She currently works as Director of Communications, Media, and Marketing at American College of Chest Physicians.
Heather Eidson (2012) recently celebrated her five-year anniversary as multimedia producer in University Marketing and Communication at Loyola University Chicago. In November, she presented her first Counselors to Higher Education Higher Ed Live webinar, “Marketing to Students in a Multimedia Landscape.” A Loyola video produced by Heather and her student team placed second in the University Photographer’s Association of America’s 2017 Multimedia Competition. Also, Heather gave birth to a baby boy, Augustus Benjamin, in July.
Mike Garabedian (2015) now works as a Corporate Communications Specialist at True Value Hardware Company, where he uses many of the skills he learned in NMS.
Dennis Georges (2016) is currently pursuing his second master’s degree in Library Science and Information Science.
Nicholas Hinternesch (2016) published his first Alexa skill, Small Talk Helper, which uses dynamic content to suggest conversation starters. He also recently completed a Music EP / Digital Storytelling Piece.
Christopher Jones (2011) recently moved to Richmond, VA to work as Associate Director of Web Content and Strategy for the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. In March 2017, he married his wife Anna, who is a graphic designer.
Lindsay Green (2014) was featured as the Member Spotlight in the Society for Marketing Professional Services’ winter newsletter. She was recognized for her work as Marketing Manager for Project Management Advisors, Inc.
Liz Knachel (2012) is going on 7 years at Allstate Insurance company and has been Associate Brand Marketing Manager for two years, managing logos, trademarks, colors, fonts and guidelines for the Allstate brand. She also wrote and published a book in 2016 called, I’m Single, Not Dead!
Megan C. McCarthy-Biank (2013) was accepted into the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. She is pursuing a concentration in Marketing Analytics, and she gave birth to a baby boy in August 2017.
Terence McMahon (2014) was promoted to Senior Business Systems Analyst in Information Technology at The Joint Commission in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.
Brian Miller (2011) was promoted to Manager of Content Strategy for National Association of REALTORS®.
Neftali Morales (2011) took a one-year sabbatical to write and perform, having worked for 3.5 years as a UXUI designer for the web. In September, Neftali returned to UXUI work as a UXUI Consultant for Illinois Tool Work’s Innovation Department, focusing on Human Machine Interface design. In his free time, Neftali is adapting his performed and written work into digital media projects.
Adam Obringer (2017) was promoted to the Communications Manager for The Side-Out Foundation, a non-profit that teams up with volleyball teams across the nation to fundraise for stage IV breast cancer research.
Tom Phillips (2013) recently started at Walgreens as their Social Media Analyst in November at their downtown Chicago office.
MA in WRD Students and Alumni
Errin Bald (2012) and her husband Dave welcomed their son, Bradyen, in June, making them a hectic and happy family of five!
Mitchell Goins (2015) presented at the 2017 Northern Region Adult Education conference in Itasca, IL, with a talk titled “Teaching ESL Writing in the age of WIOA: A Holistic Approach.” Mitchell also published a newsletter article, Collegial Observation for Professional Development, for TESOL.
Liz Lane (2012) began a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Professional Writing at the University of Memphis in the Fall of 2017. Also, Liz and her collaborator Don Unger published “Writing Networks for Social Justice: A Zine Connecting Activists in Writing, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies” in Fall 2017. The print edition features pieces from contributors around the country detailing their pedagogical and community engagement work. In Spring 2018, constellations journal will publish a digital edition of the zine.
Andrew Yim (2019) was accepted into the Master’s Proposal Forum for the TESOL 2018 Convention and into the East Central Writing Conference Association in Columbus, Ohio.
Faculty
Jason Schneider and Associate Professor Li Jin of Modern Languages were awarded a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant from the DePaul Office for Teaching, Learning & Assessment. The grant will support ongoing research into faculty attitudes towards international students. Jason and Li will work with WRD BA/MA student Maddy Crozier to interview a selection of DePaul faculty regarding this topic.
Jason Kalin presented as part of a round table discussion at the National Communication Association Annual Convention in Dallas, TX this past November. The round table focused on activating visual communication theory and analysis in the classroom. Jason also presented at “The Politics of Space and the Humanities” conference in Thessaloniki, Greece this past December. His talk was titled “Walking in Atmospheric Alleys: Mobile Methods in the More-Than-Human City.”
Lisa Dush was invited to join the Editorial Board of the Community Literacy Journal. In October, Lisa presented at the Conference on Community Writing, in Boulder, CO, with MA in NMS student Delasha Long and a nonprofit partner, Travis Rejman of the Goldin Institute. Their talk was entitled “Online Places and Service Learning Projects.” Also in October, Lisa was part of a team of interdisciplinary faculty awarded a $9,700 grant from DePaul’s Vincentian Endowment Fund for a project entitled “Parents as Disruptors: Storytelling and Community Building Across Different Neighborhoods, Schools, and Communities.” The grant supports a series of public events to convene parents from across Chicago so that they might together advocate for educational equity. It also supports a digital storytelling workshop in Lisa’s winter quarter WRD 288: Digital Storytelling course.