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!
NMS Students and Alumni
Yasmin Alesia (2016) switched careers from the advertising to the tech industry. With the help of her NMS degree, she has started a new job as a UX/UI Designer for Rand McNally. Yasmin is the main designer for OverDryve, Rand McNally’s biggest and upcoming consumer electronic device for the connected car industry.
Laura Collins (2013) shared her artwork in the exhibit The Olsen Twins Hiding From The Paparazzi at the THINK1994 Museum in New York City.
Adam Fitko (2015) celebrated his one year anniversary at Logical Media Group and was promoted to Digital Marketing Consultant. He now leads Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, and Conversion Rate Optimization efforts for a few clients and occasionally works on ad design as well.
Shann Grewal (2013) began a new position in January of this year as Director of Operations at IonTuition, a web company focused on providing self-service tools and financial counseling to student borrowers and their families.
Joshua Jackson (2016) was accepted into North Carolina State University’s Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media PhD program. Joshua was awarded the Provost Doctoral Research Fellowship at NC State and will be researching with Dr. Steve Wiley.
Megan C. McCarthy-Biank (2013) started a new position in November 2015 as Web Content Manager at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. Her responsibilities include web content production and editing, along with tracking and reporting analytics.
Jessica Moore (2012) was recently promoted to Assistant Director, Web + Digital Marketing at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Kelsey Peters (2016) will be presenting “From bad to worse to nearly perfect: Making large-scale IA changes to a live site” at Confab Higher Ed, a content strategy conference, in Philadelphia in November. Kelsey works as a web content manager for DePaul’s University Marketing department.
Kevin G. Smith (2012) recently published “Negotiating Community Literacy Practice: Public Memory Work and the Boston Marathon Bombing Digital Archive” in Computers and Composition Volume 40 (June 2016).
WRD Students and Alumni
Joe Anderson (2013) started working for US Cellular as a Web Catalog Specialist, which is a hybrid of content management and front-end development. He is currently in the process of migrating the company’s intranet over to the CMS platform Oracle Sites.
Errin Bald (2012) was recently promoted from Content Writer at healthcare management company Medulla LLC to Manager of Corporate Communications.
Maggie Collins (2016) has accepted an offer of admission to Bowling Green State University’s PhD in Rhetoric and Writing program.
Michelle Flory (2015) was promoted to a full-time faculty position at Moraine Valley Community College. Michelle graduated from DePaul with a Graduate Certificate in TESOL and will teach in Moraine’s developmental writing program.
Skylar Garland (2013) started working as a Content Writer for Loyola Medicine‘s marketing department in March.
Joseph Klein (2013) gave a presentation and facilitated a discussion on using Open Educational Resources to teach rhetoric and composition at the Allerton English Articulation Conference in Monticello, IL on April 14, 2016.
Charles Westphal (2012) started at Videojet Technologies, Inc in a newly created Technical Writer position. His responsibilities include writing and managing digital content and supporting Videojet’s Technical Support and Field Service staff.
Faculty
Darsie Bowden participated in a panel presentation, entitled “Between the Lines: Exploring Difference in Students’ Response to Feedback” with a team of DePaul alum at CCCC 2016 in Houston this past April. Darsie and WRD graduate Bridget Wagner presented results of their research on how students respond to instructor comments, while Lauri Dietz and WRD graduate Amanda Gaddam reported on the impact that writing center tutors have on student drafts.
Jason Schneider received a Faculty Summer Research Grant for 2016 from DePaul’s College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences to support ongoing work on his project, “Global Education and International Student Writers.”