"An English degree doesn’t make you a different person. However, the study of literature and rhetoric does create a space to practice empathy, critical thinking, and kindness."
When did you graduate from BYU?
MA English 2017
What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?
Currently, I’m helping the Boise Farmers Market build their fundraising program. This includes working with sponsors and major donors individually, crafting appeals for our supporters, and maintaining donation protocols and donor data. In my nonprofit experience, I’ve also run in-person and virtual events, consulted with schools, traveled internationally, and managed volunteers.
Describe the path that you took from your BYU English degree to your current career, highlighting the important realizations and turning points that paved the path for you.
I got into nonprofit through communications. That’s a pretty normal entry point for a lot of people—doing social media, newsletters, and so on. But I quickly learned that I liked working with donors. Since many nonprofits are running with all hands on deck, I was soon asked to for help beyond my job description.
Here’s the thing about nonprofits. They are built around people of passion with varied backgrounds and degrees themselves. If you can tell the story of the organization, you can be a valuable member of the team.
After getting my B. A. in literature from SUU, I knew vaguely that I wanted to do something in the nonprofit world because I’d taken a nonprofit management course, which was really interesting. And after graduating, I took a 3-month internship with an international nonprofit. Later I had the chance to work at the Provo City Library, which gave me even more experience with event management and blog writing.
However, it took my two years at BYU to help my plan take shape. The study of rhetoric is incredibly applicable to fundraising. We spend our time talking about how rhetors influence their audience to action with powerful appeals. That’s almost the definition of a fundraiser.
When I graduated, I started looking for jobs in nonprofit and soon began to wish that I’d been a little more deliberate in my class choices and internships (Don’t we all.) I almost shifted back into the library/education realm with a promising job offer when I got a call from a family member in California. Her nonprofit desperately needed an extra pair of hands for two to three months. Their event was coming up, and an employee had quit. Since I’d interned for them a few years before, I already knew the program, and I chose to go get that extra bit of nonprofit experience.
I worked hard and built relationships with the board. They asked me to stick around, and my 2 months turned into years.
What are the specific skills that you cultivated as an English major that you now use in your professional life? And how do you use those skills in ways that set you apart from your colleagues?
Being able to speak and write well! And I don’t mean “correctly.” I mean being able to communicate a story/appeal in a way that matters to your specific audience—at their level! So many wonderful, intelligent people really don’t have the gift to write in a simple, clear, engaging way.
My natural ability to find solutions to problems was enhanced through my studies as well. I was given a better understanding of how to look at a situation through multiple lenses—how to anticipate pushback.
And I’m so grateful for the time I spent learning basic design principles, so I could teach my writing classes. That’s not a big part of a writing course but it comes up all the time at work.
While I think my rhetoric degree was the most relevant to what I do now, I have to give credit to my literature degree. The goal when reading fiction is to build empathy, right? I believe my time studying literature did open my mind to better empathize with the many different personalities and cultures I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
How else has your English degree helped you in your life?
A degree doesn’t make you a different person. However, the study of literature and rhetoric does create a space to practice empathy, critical thinking, and kindness. I tried to lean into those as a student, and what I learned has served me well.
For example, one of my literature courses spent time studying Middle Eastern writing. I got to do a project on Islam that was eye opening. Later, as a missionary, I met so many awesome Muslim people. And through work I’ve made friends/personal heroes who are Muslim. I’m grateful for my class that gave me respect and appreciation for that religion and culture.
As an alumnus of the BYU English department, what advice would you give to current students?
Be honest about your degree and about the truth that most of life happens after school. That life includes employment!
If someone wants to study English, I say go for it. I loved it. But you better have a plan. Take courses outside your major: web design, social media marketing, business management, etc. Search actively for internships and jobs that will give you skills and connections in the right field. And practice translating what you learn into post-school contexts. How would you explain what you’re learning in a resume or on a cover letter?
As an undergraduate senior, I found myself taking a detective fiction course. Super fun and fulfilled a major requirement. My dad was not on board. He kept laughing that I’d waste my money and time on that class. It really annoyed me at first. But guess what? If my only response to that criticism is annoyance, then he’s right. What “good” is it doing me? Did I really have an argument beyond “Hey dad I like what I study!” And the truth behind the disagreement was a parent legitimately worried about their adult child’s future and an English major who didn’t actually know if her degree was relevant. I ended up learning a lot of life lessons in that class. But more importantly, I began putting my studies into useful categories: what was transferable, what brought me joy, what gave me resume-level experience. All important.
And stay out of debt. It’s the best choice I ever made.
(Not an answer to this question, but I’m so glad BYU is creating this resource. It always drove me crazy when I’d ask what my bachelor’s degree in literature was going to do for me, and I’d get handed a list of famous alumni with vague titles like “actor” and “entrepreneur” I want English majors to know about their degrees beyond “it teaches critical thinking.” The options are endless but they take work!