Ashley N. Barker graduated with a bachelor's in English (professional writing option) and minors in journalism and creative writing.

During college, Ashley designed pages and wrote sports stories part-time for the Star-News. Right out of college, she started full-time work as the community web producer at WECT-TV in Wilmington and did that for a year and a half before moving to Charleston, S.C., in August 2012.

Now, Ashley works as a public information specialist in the public relations office at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where she writes, copy edits and designs pages for The Catalyst, MUSC's internal newspaper.

Gideon A. Brookins graduated with a bachelors degree in Professional Writing, then attended NC State University from 2010-2012, graduating with a Master of Science in Technical Communication. After co-oping with IBM during grad school, he recently started his first full-time technical writing position in early July 2012. He will be writing documentation for server software and hardware for Tekelec, a telecommunications company headquartered in Morrisville, N.C.

"Living in Raleigh and the Triangle in general has allowed me to stay connected with friends and other alumni from UNCW."

"I anticipate that my formal academic career is over, but the learning is only just beginning. Not a day goes by that I don't use something I learned from my undergraduate English courses.
The best perk a full-time job offers? Paid time off!"

" Thank you and all of my esteemed professors. A special thanks to my former advisor, Dr. [Diana] Ashe."

Anna Brown received her BA in English, Professional Writing, and after a short summer stint doing odd jobs around the Star News, she moved to Greensboro and worked at Proximity Hotel, being promoted to Manager on Duty within a year. She moved to Winston-Salem for love and became engaged to Samuel Henley, a maintenance supervisor and local guitar player, in February 2012.

She recently accepted a position as an Administrative Assistant in Wake Forest University's Departments of History and Religion, which allows her to be closer to home so she can spend more time with her fiance and his 4-year-old son, Aiden. She and Sam will tie the knot on March 23, 2013.

Meghan Palko entered ECU's graduate program and will graduating in December 2012 with an MA in English (concentration in creative writing/poetry). She has spent her time at ECU working as an editorial assistant for Tar River Poetry. Meghan is also beginning a part-time writing gig with the local paper and pursuing publication for her poetry in various publications and journals.

"After I graduate, I intend to take a break from academia and spend time working in a bakery or coffee shop. I'm marrying my fiance in April of 2013, and we plan to honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast of Italy."

Vanessa Allison graduated with an MA, and from 2006 to 2011 played competitive roller derby, traveling the country with the Cape Fear Roller girls as her alter ego "Dee Spies."

Vanessa taught English as an adjunct at Cape Fear Community College from 2008 to 2010.

She was on the Lumina Academy Administration Team from 2010 to 2011. Lumina Academy is a non-profit distance learning school designed to educate underprivileged children in Malaysia.

In 2011, she and her husband and dogs moved to Costa Rica in search of "pura vida." She works remotely, writing for Fortune 500 companies and a handful of other clients in the technology industry.

"When not being rattled by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, we spend the day surfing, paddle boarding, diving, spearfishing, hiking, saving sea turtles and exploring the jungles."

She plays derby now with the Ligar Costa Rica under the same name.

Vanessa also has a travel blog documenting all the adventures and culture shock: http://keenintel.com/intel/

"I've crafted the art of being a hybrid front- and back-end Web Developer with experience in user development, marketing and product development. My experience in Web Development, UI/UX Design, multimedia, open source and agile technologies have allowed me to bridge these fields providing a greater user experience. The goal: Under-promise and Over-deliver. And smile."

Outside of her career, Glover focuses her time and energy on family, traveling, marking to do's off of her bucket list. She is preparing for a clothing line launch in the Spring of 2013 and other creative endeavors.

Jeff Golden started an education reporting job with the Farmington (N.M.) Daily Times a month after graduating in May 2008. He immediately fell in love with the American West, spending most of his free hours in nearby Colorado hiking, climbing and drinking the country's best beer. He stayed put for nearly two years before pursuing freelance opportunities in Boston. The West had a hold of him, though, and only a few months later, he was once again in an overburdened Mazda sedan streaking westward. He's lived in Denver since June 2010, working as a Communications Associate for Jefferson County in the foothills on the western edge of the metropolitan area. This past summer, Jeff summited Mt. Rainier and completed his three-year quest to climb all 58 of Colorado's 14,000-foot mountains.

Jon Schneiderman graduated with a master’s in English in May of 2007 and in June enrolled in the summer Ph.D. program in Composition and TESOL at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He returned to UNCW to teach as an adjunct from August 2007 until May of 2008. In May of 2008 his wife and he  purchased a dive shop in Bocas del Toro, Panama (www.bocaswatersports.com) and have been enjoying living the tropical island lifestyle ever since.

“In addition to teaching scuba diving, running a successful business and exploring the Bocas archipelago, I have volunteered to teach basic English to the local police force, as well as contributed articles on the area's fragile marine ecosystem to the local expat newspaper.”

He hopes to return to IUP in the summer of 2010 to finish his doctorate coursework and begin the dissertation process.

Krista Jevons has been married for eight years as of 2012, and she received a master's degree in education from the college of Saint Rose in December 2010. She is certified to teach early childhood, childhood and high school English in New York State and is currently teaching Kindergarten in Rensselaer, N.Y.

“I love teaching young children and wake up happy to go to work each day. I enjoy working out and being outside. I spend my summers working in my organic garden and relaxing with a book at the beach. This past summer, I spent traveling around Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with a friend. I have a blog about my travels called Expecting the Unexpected http://kristajevons.blogspot.com and greatly enjoy writing.”

“Someday, I will be a published author. In the meantime, I continue to muse on the mysteries of life.”

Adrienne Peacock graduated with a bachelor's in English with a focus in Literature and bachelor's in History.

In 2009, she earned a JD from University of Richmond and is not working in Raleigh, N.C., as a Hearing Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Shelley Smith moved home to Salisbury after graduation where she started freelance reporting for The Salisbury Post, a daily newspaper, in Jan. 2007. After four months of living with mom and dad, it was time to move on, and she was hired full-time at The Avery Journal-Times in Newland, N.C., a weekly where she has been since April 2007. "Most people have never heard of Newland; however, Newland is the county seat of beautiful Avery County (home to Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway, ski resorts ... you get the picture). I never thought I'd get used to moving from the coast to the mountains, but I absolutely love it up here." Shelly spends her spare time being outdoors, taking photographs and driving along the Parkway.

As a reporter, she covers crime for three counties: Avery, Mitchell, and Carter (located in Tenn.). I also cover Board of Education meetings, Avery County Planning Board meetings, fires, wrecks, criminal court trials, Fire Association and Fire Commission meetings. "There is an endless amount of events that take place in the mountains, and I cover those as well - such as, the Woolly Worm Festival, Autumn at Oz, and the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games."

"The mountain culture (and climate) is much different than that of Wilmington, and I have adjusted as well as possible when the temperatures are below zero! The local residents in Avery County have welcomed me with open arms, and everyone treats me like I'm part of their family. It's a great place to live, and the BEST place to visit if you're wanting to get away to the mountains for a weekend. For fun, I like to visit stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway and take photos or go for a hike."

Although she loves being in newspapers, she is looking into going back to school to become a high school English teacher.

In memoriam

Satu Harris died May 9, 2010, in a car crash in Brunswick County. The Star-News story on the accident is here.

She worked as a freelancer for the Wilmington Star-News and showed her landscape photographs at a few exhibitions and displays. Her musician photos were published in magazines including The Beat and Wilma. She worked for Verizon Wireless as a customer service representative. “I absolutely love it there! My kids are officially teenagers (13, 14 and 15), and they are all taller than me now.”

Satu was 38.

Chris Brown continued his education at ECU and received his teacher's certification. He lives in Rose Hill, N.C., and teaches high school English at an alternative learning center and is still writing and reading. Chris recently got married, and is finding that “time is an extremely difficult commodity to procure.” 

“I also want to personally thank the staff and instructors of the English Department for your commitment to a quality education.  Sometimes the realization of how amazing of an education that we receive doesn't kick in until we are in the 'real world.' … I truly miss my days within the walls of Morton Hall.”

Melanie Bussi Morgan graduated with a bachelor’s degree and went on to earn her master’s in 2007.  She teaches English at Wake Technical Community Colleges in Raleigh. The wedding photo at left is of she and her husband, Robert Morgan Jr., when they married at the Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington.

Kerry Freeman (Fryar) met her husband in Dr. Elizabeth Ervin's class (“…and [to whom] we owe our happiness …”)  and were married after graduation in 2006 at Orton Plantation while she was teaching at Trask Middle School in Wilmington.  They now live in Lenoir, N.C. – “Yes, it is as small as it sounds.” -- and welcomed Chloe Ann Freeman to their family in August 2010 “… and are enjoying every second.” 

Kerry teaches English I and Communication Skills at West Caldwell High School.  “My students are clueless when it comes to grammar, so I am using Dr. Veit's technique and teaching them the diagram tree -- do you all remember that class?  Thanks to him, my students now understand the concept of a prepositional phrase having to have a noun phrase.  The Seahawks will always have a special place in my heart ... FEEL THE TEAL!

Thank you to all the professors and English peers who, even though they may not know it, continue to teach me on a daily basis. God bless!”

Allison Hope Knight traveled around Europe for four months after graduation, visiting friends she had met during her study abroad experience in Swansea, Wales during the spring of 2003.

“I explored over 20 countries, and I had an incredible experience!” Allison now lives around Hillsborough. "I spent several years to helping her grandmother, Elizabeth Allison, who was a vibrant 99-year-old that loved to travel to the mountains and beach."

“I am so grateful for the special times that Granny Elizabeth and I shared.”

Allison worked at the Orange County Public Library and also at libraries in Hillsborough and Cedar Grove.  She also worked as a courier, distributing books to branches at Carrboro, Person and Caswell.

She spent a year and a half teaching English in Harbin, China, and worked at  a private school, as well as a university called Ha Shi Da.  Allison taught English to more than 300 freshmen English majors. She was able to travel throughout China, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines while she was in Asia.

Allison has recently begun an interim position teaching English as a Second Language at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, N.C.

Leigh Dingle returned to UNCW and earned her BSW in 2004. Over the past 12 years, Leigh has with young children and their families in a variety of positions. In August 2012, she earned her Early Childhood degree from Mount Olive College of Wilmington, and currently she is in the MAEd/Special Education program through University of Phoenix.

"I will forever be indebted to the English department for all of the experiences, teachings, and advice I received while in the program."

Erika Veth is Term Faculty of English Composition at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she also earned her master's in 2008. She serves as the advisor to student clubs Sigma Tau Delta (the English Honor Society) and Understory, UAA's creative arts journal. In May 2009, Erika and her partner, Phil McGovern, became the proud parents of their son, Quinn Carleton Veth-McGovern. They live in Girdwood, Alaska. Erika plans on pursuing a doctorate in higher education with Indiana University of Pennsylvania beginning in Fall 2010. Their dog is named North. “I feel extremely blessed!”

Heather Congo went to grad school at theUniversity of Kentucky where she also taught for two years while completing her master's. She now lives in Huntsville, Ala., with her husband, Ray, her 2 1/2-year-old son, Slade, and she has a baby girl, Evelynn, on the way in March 2010. Heather teaches English and Reading at Wallace State Community College. "I love what I do, and I truly believe if it weren't for UNCW and the outstanding English Department faculty, I would not be where I am today. I especially want to recognize and thank Dr. Janet Ellerby; she inspired me more than she will ever know."

Rachel Urban was a student-athlete, participating in varsity women’s soccer under Head Coach Paul Cairney. “Although it feels like just yesterday that I was roaming the halls of Morton, I realize after gathering my thoughts on career paths, relationships and life in general that it has been over six years since I was a student.” She moved to hometown Greensboro, N.C., and got a lateral entry teaching position at Page High School, the school that she attended. She moved back to Wilmington and began teaching exceptional children at New Hanover High School. After two years, she was offered a position at a local mental health agency that specialized in Therapeutic Foster Care, for the most severely abused and neglected children. She is now working for the NC Division of Public Health, specifically the state's Comprehensive Cancer Program in Partnership with the American Cancer Society. It is a position that involves grant-writing, outreach, health education and prioritizing the cancer needs in each county in her 17-county region in Southeastern North Carolina. "Needless to say, I spend a lot of time in my car. It is great work and lots to be done in my role."

"I thank the UNCW English Department for giving me the gift of a great education and the ability to focus on my writing skills and writing development. I know it has provided me with a strong sense of confidence. I love living here in Wilmington and have found peace in volunteerism ... ranging from Running Events to Cancer Events to Latino Events ... so much work to be done. "

“I completed the Richmond Marathon in Virginia in November 2008. The 26.2-mile journey is another experience that I will never forget ... my legs won't either. Professors, to answer your question on how we all turned out: Life is good. Thanks so much, and I love and miss UNCW!”

Rachel is running her second marathon with hopes of qualifying for the Boston marathon in Spring 2010.

Ebony Freeland Bryant married Kevin Bryant in 2006, and has welcomed two “awesome little girls" into their lives: Sanai Brielle, born Christmas Day 2008; and Kennedi Delayne, born 2010.

"After graduation, I worked in the Admissions office at UNCW for almost 5 years before moving to Alexandria, Va. I am now settled in Durham, N.C., working in the Admissions office at the Duke University School of Law. I often cherish my time at UNCW, especially those days at Morton Hall!"

Phylis Diana Black earned a master's of liberal arts in History from Auburn University in Montgomery in 2006 and a master's of English literature from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2011. She is a major in the Air Force and has served in California, Alabama, Iraq, Colorado, and (currently) works with NATO in Izmir, Turkey. She married Michelle Dean in February 2012 in Victoria, B.C. In spring 2013, she'll return to teach English composition, literature, and public speaking to cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

“For my former profs: I'd like you to know that I enjoyed your classes tremendously — even when I felt I was suffering. I still think of you from time to time, and I remain inspired by your various approaches and attitudes to teaching, to writing and to literature. So many parts of my life are a blur, with names and faces I don't remember well or at all. My time at UNCW is an exception to that rule. Thank you all for what you gave me. If I can do the same for even one of my students, I will die knowing I lived well.”

Jeanna Frye earned her US Customs Brokerage License in 2004 and has worked in the field of International Trade for 10 years.  She is the Manager for International Operations at Syngenta Crop Protection, an $11 billion global agricultural company with its North American base in Greensboro, N.C.  Jeanna manages compliance and operations.  “I have a partner of 7 years, Sonia Chalmers, and we have a son born Sept. 15, 2009, Miles Fox Chalmers-Frye.”

“Some of my fondest memories from my UNCW days are poetry classes with Dr. Kathy Rugoff, Shakespeare (Summer Session) with Dr. Lewis Walker and my Senior Seminar, among others, with Dr. Mike Wentworth.”

Melissa Shaw Pierick did various internships after graduation at local newspapers, including the Topsail Voice, but decided full-time journalism was not for her. She has been a professional marketing copywriter for the past 10 years and currently works for TDS, a mid-sized broadband and phone company that serves customers nationwide, including the tiny market of Fair Bluff, N.C., and writes in all sorts of media: direct mail, billboards, radio spots, web ads and more. “On a daily basis, I apply the skills I learned working as an intern in UNCW’s University Advancement Department and in Dr. Bushman’s Argumentative Writing course. “

“I absolutely love what I do! I feel that I bring a journalistic approach to everything I write—I am concise and always put myself in the shoes of the customer. What do they want to know? How would they read this? What would make them buy the product? I feel so proud to actually be using my major! In my spare time, I continue to freelance for local newspapers.”

Melissa lives in Madison, Wisconsin. She is married and has 1-year-old and 4-year-old daughters.

"After graduation, my career in banking flourished, and I worked in both management and in Retail/Business Banking. Today, I am a Vice President and Business Banker with First Citizens Bank in Wilmington, N.C. I joined FCB back in May of 2007 and really take great pride in working for a company that is among the Top 10 Banks in the nation! Part of what I do as a business banker is credit analysis and underwriting. I also have to do a great deal of research about the companies we are going to lend money to, and then sell the story to the bank. I truly believe my English degree gave me the tools to be successful in helping people grow their small businesses, the research and the high level of analytical writing I learned as an undergraduate student at UNCW has proven to be very valuable skills in my professional career today. The English Department, by far, made my experience as a student one of the most rewarding of my life, and the great faculty and professors I had during my time at UNCW made a significant impact on me both as a student, and the person I am today."

Sheila Devaney ('94 M.A.)is a data services and business reference librarian at the University of Georgia Libraries.She earned a M.L.S. from North Carolina Central University in 1999 and then moved to Athens, Ga., later that year. She wound up staying in Athens and at UGA for seven years and then moved back to Chapel Hill for two years to manage a library for UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. However, she couldn’t resist Athenian life and moved back down to Georgia in 2008. Sheila is now staying put in Athens and just bought a house. When not answering reference questions, staffing the reference desk or working on home improvement projects, she spends vast amounts of time on the tennis courts. She also recently took up golf and is working on her short game. Sheila also travels a lot as her schedule allows, going to Seattle, Denver and the new Yankee Stadium in the last eight months. She also spends a lot of time in Savannah and at Tybee Island. (It’s not Wrightsville, but it suffices well.) Her e-mail is: sheila.devaney@gmail.com

“A big hello to Dr. Waxman, Dr. MacLennan and Dr. Walker!”

Michelle Kern Hines (MA ’94) and her husband, Norman Hines Jr. (MA '96, BA '85), along with their son, Tamirat (or Tam), celebrated Tam’s third adoption anniversary on Oct. 6, 2012. Tam, who was adopted from Ethiopia, is a kindergarten student this year. Tam enjoys reading, soccer and swimming, and wants to be a scholar, a goalie and the next Michael Phelps. Michelle is employed in the University Relations department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she writes features for the UNCG alumni magazine, Web features and press releases. She lives in Greensboro with her husband of 18 years, Norman. Norman works as a serials technologist in UNCG's Jackson Library, where he works with both print and online academic journals and databases. Norman, Michelle and Tam have one dog, Mackie, a Shetland Sheepdog, a happy barker who is absolutely loved by some neighbors and thoroughly despised by others.

“We love to travel and frequent Disney World, where we have a timeshare. We are big amusement park enthusiasts (Carowinds, Disney, Pigeon Forge). We fell in love with skiing, so we bought a chalet on Beech Mountain, and we also enjoy camping in our RV. We have two dogs -- Chaney, a toy poodle, and Mabel, an English Bulldog – a cat, Jonas (Jo Jo), and a hermit crab, Hermie.”

“God has blessed me with a wonderful family and great friends.  I do miss Wilmington and don’t get back there as often as I’d like, but look forward to hopefully taking my family to visit UNCW’s beautiful campus someday soon.”

Denise Sutton went on to East Carolina for an M.A. in English and then went to Clark University for a Ph.D. in Women's Studies (2004). Between the master's degree and the doctorate, she was director of communications at the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City. She taught and was an administrator at the New School University and the College of New Rochelle and now works as a writer.

Her first book, Globalizing Ideal Beauty: How Female Copywriters of the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency Redefined Beauty for the Twentieth Century, came out September 2009 and was published by Palgrave Macmillan.

“I was fortunate to have the most fabulous professors at UNCW – they all encouraged me to go on to graduate school. Dr. Lewis Walker, my advisor, and Dr. Andrea Deagon (Foreign Languages), Dr. Patricia Lerch (Anthropology) and Dr. Barbara Waxman all influenced my writing and teaching -- and still do. The first time I taught a class, I made a list of all the things that these professors had done that inspired me in the classroom -- that's how I created my own teaching philosophy!” Denise married Peter Metzger in 2005, and they live in Brooklyn, N.Y.

She invites everyone to visit her Web site: denisehsutton.com

Go Seahawks!”

Jonathan Scott Nunn is a copy editor, page designer and columnist for The Wilmington StarNews. He writes a local history column based on old StarNews clippings called Back Then. "I do my research at Randall Library, so 20 years later I still spend time at UNCW. The campus certainly has changed."

He is married to Cece Nunn, also an editor and writer at the StarNews, and they have two daughters with English major names -- Isabelle Eudora, 3, and Flannery Elizabeth, 1.

“Teaching is my passion, and I can't really imagine myself doing anything else!”

“I fondly remember Dr. Wentworth's classes, from British Writers to Beat Generation Poets. (As my students past and present recite their Chaucer lines in Middle English, I still hear his voice!  And I will never forget his echoes of"go" and "howl"). I also fondly remember Dr. Schweninger as a new and "preppy" professor - so long ago- who gave the hardest tests in those Blue Books. When I made a good grade in his class, I knew I'd really done something! Dr. Walker was an outstanding model for making Shakespeare come alive for students. I still have Dr. Veit's grammar text (the one that he wrote), and I have pulled it off of my shelf many times to help students see another way of "breaking down" English grammar. And it was Dr. Tom MacLennonwho taught me that my inner writing voice matters to people other than myself.”

Jill lives in rural Chatham County with my husband, Jeff, and their daughters, Emma, ,9, and Maie, 6. “I just lived through what I now call my ‘Barbara Kingsolver summer,’ as we wereharvesting muchof our own produce and raising chickens for the first time. Next summer promises to be a much bigger production, so please let me know if you have any tips or insights!” chathamwriter@bellsouth.net

William Kyle Hodge has lived in Apex, N.C., since graduation, working for the past 10 years with UNC Healthcare as a Clinic Manager, and is currently with Heart and Vascular Care. With his daughters, he stays active at Apex High School. His oldest daughter, Brittany, attended UNCW and his youngest, Lindsay, is a junior at Apex and has UNCW on her radar.

"We never fail to take a quick trip to Wrightsville and always stop on campus to look around or visit the book store. I've kept writing, mainly op-ed articles, sports articles or (hopefully) Inspirational themes.I am always so appreciative of the fine professors who influenced me and challenged me to reach for success. My diploma is proudly framed on my wall, and I remain always at heart, a Seahawk!"

Drew Allison uses his English and theater training from UNCW in his work as a professional puppeteer. He has a company called Grey Seal Puppets (www.greysealpuppets.com). The photo on the left is from a performance in November 2012 with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.

"I remember the English Dept professors so well. They really turned my life around. Dr. Collier, Dr. Veit, Dr. Seiple, Dr. Byington and no one more so than Dr. John Clifford. .... He was an amazing teacher and completely changed my approach to writing and really to life."

Linda Patton Nance is a certified wedding planner and has written a book for brides: Planning a Traditional Wedding and a book for wedding coordinators, A Handbook for Wedding Coordinators. In addition to those books, she has had a number of magazine articles published. "I enjoy writing anything that will preserve history for generations to come. Most of these have been memoirs about our families and my personal life (not for publication, but to preserve memories for our family)"

Linda has been married to Charles Lee Nance (a retired Orthopaedic surgeon) for more than 50 years. "We have two married children who each have our most beautiful granddaughters who range in age from 14 to 17 years."

"Life has always been exciting for me with never a moment to become bored"

"I have always been glad that I majored in English, for it has put me in good stead with everything that I've done since graduation."