Alumni News

HANNAH BISKIND ’11, Social Worker

After Graduation? I got my Master of Social Work in NYC, worked and lived in Mexico for two years, and then came back to NYC to advocate for separated detained immigrant kids in federal custody and unaccompanied minors. I moved to Boston where I’m now the social work and program director for an immigrant mental health program, and I’m beginning my PhD in Social Work at Smith College this summer (2024). Degree Relevance? I integrate narrative work and poetry into mental health services. Highlights from the Major? The “Books of the Booker Prize” course by Bill Kupinse, and every single one of Laurie Frankel’s classes.

SHELBY CAULEY ’13, Data Manager and Writer

Currently, I work for Accenture Federal Services as a contractor with the Department of Defense. My role involves documentation and data management as well as technical writing. After Graduation? I spent most of my time working in tech in Washington and California, and then a few years ago I moved back to the Midwest (where I grew up) to be closer to my family. I have two young kids now, so my world revolves around them! Degree Relevance? Most of my career has been in the tech industry. I worked at Apple for nearly ten years, flexing my English muscles as a marketing writer and UX writer. I also worked as a content designer at Okta and a copywriter at Boost Mobile. Highlights from the Major? I loved every class I took from Professor George Erving, especially his class on William Blake. I also enjoyed “reading” (deciphering?) Finnegans Wake with Professor Bill Kupinse and other Joycean English majors.

JESSICA COLUMBO ’07, Communications Consultant 

After Graduation? I pursued my MA in Digital Communications from San Diego State and dug into research at the intersection of digital communications and end-of-life. I worked in television and PR and became a hospice volunteer before building the social media program at Oregon Health & Science University. For the last decade, I’ve had my own consulting practice, helping hospitals, universities, and government sectors tell their stories, support their communities, and weather every kind of crisis (including the pandemic!) via digital marketing and communications. Degree Relevance? I’ve had the privilege of writing professionally now for two decades. I’ve also pursued local literary fellowships and workshops, taught adjunct writing and PR at a few Oregon universities, continue to write for fun, and have stayed in touch with fellow English grads from UPS. Highlights from the Major? Professors Bev Conner, Priti Joshi, and Dolen Perkins-Valdez (whose literary journey I love to follow). I also loved writing for The Trail newspaper and Crosscurrents magazine.

JORDAN COX ’14, Senior Manager, Technical Solutions/Implementations

After Graduation? I moved to Portland, OR, and began working at SurveyMonkey. I discovered that my skills were uniquely useful for the tech sphere. I’ve spent my time building teams and teaching others how to think about breaking down complex problems. In my free time, I help folks edit and self-publish short story collections and novels. Highlights from the Major? All of my classes in the English Department were fantastic. I took a class on Gothic American Literature that stuck with me, and another on memoirs that gave me an appreciation for the genre. I loved my classes on Hitchcock and modern British literature as well. I will forever be grateful to my advisor, Beverly Conner, who encouraged me to write my own stories.

MOLLYROSE DUMM ’07, Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Practitioner

After Graduation? I worked for six years in nonprofit at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, and then eight years as an ICU coordinator for an emergency veterinary hospital, including starting and leading unionization efforts within the hospital. Degree Relevance? Having a creative writing degree has helped immensely with crafting professional and intentional updates to coworkers both in the unionization efforts and now as part of our worker-owned co-op. I also have to craft finely worded emails to combative and often litigious pet owners! Highlights from the Major? I fondly remember and miss days that we workshopped with each other’s writing, and getting to read my classmates’ short stories.

NOLAN ELLIS ’14, Marriage and Family Therapist

After Graduation? Moved home to the Bay Area, worked in admissions, worked in high schools, started grad school, got married, bought a house, became a therapist. Degree Relevance? Understanding story and motivation and what constitutes a life’s journey is at the core of my everyday work, and I learned how to uncover those stories at UPS English. Highlights of the Major? Working so closely with an incredible group of talented and passionate professors; forming close, life-long friendships with my classmates; and never having a class before 10 a.m.!

LINDSEY FELL ’10, Emergency Medicine Physician

After Graduation? Two days after graduation, I drove to Wyoming and began teaching 30-day courses for a backcountry skills and leadership school (NOLS). That first winter after UPS found me housesitting in the Idaho side of the Teton range for a coworker, where I found myself helping to start a new local bread bakery, and ultimately, ski patrolling. I remained in that small Idaho community for nine years with various jobs: working on farms, gardening for the local superstars (Harrison Ford!), ski patrolling, and directing an avalanche department. Throughout this time, I became interested in the complex process of human medicine, so began studying for medical school on the side. From 2018-2022, I studied medicine in Portland, OR, and am just about to start my last year of Emergency Medicine residency in Salt Lake City, UT. Degree Relevance? Everything is English-related! Throughout my adventures, the skills that I learned throughout my UPS studies have bolstered my ability to communicate an opinion in local newspapers, craft a presentation with logical flow, write a scientific lab paper, express effectively in application essays, and publish articles in peer-reviewed journals. I remember a quote from a UPS English professor: “Those who write well, think well,” and I do believe this holds true. Another professor once stated, “The value of a liberal arts education teaches one to become an interested person.” While I do think that one could become an ever-interested person from any walk of life, the investigative nature of my studies in UPS’s English Department certainly helped keep the inspiration aflame. Highlights from the Major? My first course through the English Department was on Romantic Poetry with George Erving. He taught me the value of approaching writing, and other skills, as akin to sports—that the first attempt may need revisions and that’s okay, and that writing is a skill that must be practiced.

PAUL GOUDARZI-FRY ’16, After-School Program Leader, Writer, Teacher

After Graduation? I moved back home to NH and pursued my MFA at the Rainier Writing Workshop. Since then I’ve been doing work in the public school system while trying to get poetry published! It’s great to engage with students learning the ins and outs of writing, and equally cool to see how they want to engage with learning about the work of their peers and teachers. Highlights from the Major? Reading Blood Meridian, which is now one of my favorite novels. Most importantly, though, Professor Kupinse introduced me to the RWW and encouraged me to continue my poetry, which is what led me to having the kind of work I do now!

KAT GRIFFIN WONG ’04, Director, Social Content

After Graduation? I first started work in marketing and then ultimately moved over to social media and now manage a team that runs our social media accounts. When I first started, we primarily just focused on Facebook and now we’re all about TikTok. Social media keeps you on your toes! Degree Relevance? There is a LOT of writing when it comes to social media: writing captions, distilling an article into a video script, writing creative briefs for our design team, writing decks to present what we’re doing. Highlights from the Major? My advisor was Mary Turnbull who was just an amazing spirit. My emphasis (Writing, Rhetoric, Culture) required that I do an internship. I ended up doing two: marketing for Sunset Magazine and ad sales for a local paper. I think my internships truly helped set the stage for seeing what corporate life was like along with building a network. I also remember that Mary taught a course that included refining our resumes—again, so helpful for the real world.

CHELSEA HANSEN (nee ASHER) ’11, High School Teacher

After Graduation? I spent a year teaching English in France, worked as a manager for a staffing company, worked at a bookstore, got married and had a baby girl, and started graduate school to get an MAT. I’m about to receive my teaching license in the state of Nevada. Degree Relevance? Lots! I would say that all my work experience since graduating has been English related. I was a copyeditor, editing novels for e-book publication. I worked in the field of HR for several years, which required good communication and organization skills. Working as a government secretary required the same skills. I plan to teach high school English next year. Highlights from the Major? So many good memories! I loved studying Romantic literature with Professor Erving, and Gothic American literature with Professor Tracy Hale. I had so much fun participating in Professor Kupinse’s Finnegan’s Wake book club. I learned a ton in Professor Joshi’s Indian fiction class, and I’m very proud of the thesis I wrote under her guidance my senior year. Studying Chaucer with Professor Despres and Shakespeare with Professor Greenfield profoundly influenced me as a scholar.

JOHN HANSEN ’07, Quantitative Research

After Graduation? I worked in the Admission Office at Puget Sound for five years, and then left to do a PhD at Harvard University on Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education. After graduating, I did education policy research for the Washington State Legislature. When my partner’s job required a moved to Seattle, I took a job at Amazon doing quantitative research. At this point, I’ve been doing research in the private sector for about five years. Degree Relevance? I write a lot in my professional work, even if it’s not literary. Highlights from the Major? I really enjoyed studying literature with Alison Tracy Hale, poetry with Hans Ostrom and Bill Kupinse, and writing with Laurie Frankel.

TIM HOGAN ’22, Creative Production

After Graduation? I worked with a Tacoma-based rock band, Enumclaw, that I connected with during my time at KUPS, and managed their tours in North America, the UK, and Europe. I’ve since relocated from Tacoma to Los Angeles to begin a career in creative production, accepted a full-time position at a Hollywood-based photography studio, and launched a skateboarding merchandise and fashion label, Genesis Video, working as the label’s creative director. Degree Relevance? I’ve continued to develop friendships and professional relationships with former English classmates. The skills I learned as an English major at Puget Sound have continued to be relevant in my work in creative production, and I refer to lessons from professors Erving and Joshi when writing pitches and treatments, copyediting, and general communication within teams. Highlights from the Major? All of Prof. Erving’s classes, Prof. Wesley’s Bible as Literature class, Young Adult Literature with Prof. Tracy Hale, and Writing About Place with Prof. Joshi.

AUNA LUNDBERG, ’15, Senior Marketing Manager

After Graduation? I moved back to Wenatchee, WA, and currently work for Stemilt Growers. As Senior Marketing Manager, I get to help with events, trade advertising, and campaign planning. I’ve also started competitive bowling and currently I’m the league secretary for two leagues (actively bowling in four), manager for our local association, and sit on the WA State USBC Board of Directors. I’ve participated in the National Championships for the last three years and hold a 198 average. I continue to write poems (ten poems published so far) and I’m still working on my novels. Highlights from the Major? My classes were always intriguing and eye-opening. I really enjoyed the different options of genre and literature I was able to take during my time. I loved the Shakespeare class with Professor Wesley, and my advanced poetry course with Professor Ostrom. My favorite read was Beowulf.

BRIANA KELLY ’09, Assistant Director, Restorative Practices & Student Discipline

After Graduation? 2013-2021: High School English teacher; 2021-2023: Middle School Assistant Principal; 2023-current: OSPI state agency leadership (WA State Department of Education). Degree Relevance? I majored in English with an emphasis in Writing, Rhetoric, and Culture. As an English teacher, this focus deeply impacted the way I taught my students to write with intention, the way I approach community engagement through a culturally responsive lens, and now as a government employee it influences how I collaborate with professional partners to achieve desired outcomes on a daily basis. Highlights from the Major? The rich Socratic seminar-style discussions.

RACHEL KOLLAR ’12, Mental Health Specialist

After Graduation? I earned an MFA in Screenwriting at California State University Northridge. From there, I developed an eight-year long career as a self-employed audio description writer under the business name, Kollar Narratives LLC. In 2021, I went back to graduate school and I’ve just graduated with my MA in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling. I work as a mental health specialist and drama therapy teacher at a middle school, high school, and transition program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I have also self-published book one of a dystopian adventure trilogy and am currently revising book two. I’m also a homeowner and a proud pet mom! Degree Relevance? I still write several days a week and am very proud of myself for self-publishing a book. I use my storytelling abilities on a regular basis in my current work when I help my students tell their stories. Highlights from the Major? My favorite classes were usually creative writing ones, but I also really enjoyed literature and poetry classes. Reading Oryx and Crake with Bill Kupinse changed my entire outlook on how I wanted to write, as did the poetry project I created in another class of his.

OLIVIA LANGEN ’19, Associate Producer, Penguin Random House Audio

After Graduation? I worked as a TEFL teacher and freelance travel writer in Taipei for a year. After returning to the US, I landed a job in L.A. at the Penguin Random House Audio studios in 2021, where I’ve been working ever since. I also started up a queer book club in L.A., which has been meeting monthly for two years. In addition, I continue to do freelance writing, and I’ve contributed to the PRH Audio blog. Highlights from the Major? Alison Tracy Hale’s “Gothic American Fiction” class changed my life! It became my new favorite genre and outlook on feminist lit. Also, “Introduction to Poetry Writing” with Beverly Conner gave me so much confidence in creative writing.

MARCUS LUTHER ’12, High School Teacher

After Graduation? After joining Teach For America, I moved to rural Arkansas and spent the next eight years there teaching before moving back to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to family, and I’m now a high school English teacher in Salem, OR. This year (2024) marks my twelfth year teaching and I love it just as much as I did on day one—no plans to do anything different going forward! Degree Relevance? Along with teaching, I have also written about education for several publications, most recently Edutopia and Cult of Pedagogy; I also co-created a teaching-focused Substack called The Broken Copier, with posts and podcasts on education-related topics, with the goal of creating a positive, solutions-oriented space for teachers to think and talk about teaching. Highlights from the Major? I had so many incredible experiences in English courses at Puget Sound, but what I remember most is what it felt like to sit in Professor Erving’s classroom. Up until that point, I had a very ‘pragmatic’ approach to education, as in, “what tasks do I need to complete?” and “what does it take to get an A?” Having stumbled into Professor Erving’s course on William Blake, I found myself not caring about those questions hardly at all—and instead just finding myself riveted in the learning itself, and my identity as a learner transformed within that. Even if my GPA took some hits, taking those courses from Erving unlocked a vision for me of what the classroom should be like, and it’s something I carry with me to this day, especially now as a teacher.

EMMA MONTGOMERY ’09, Publishing Company Owner and Writer

After Graduation? I graduated from Syracuse University with a Master of Library & Information Science, then moved to New York City where I worked as a prospect researcher for the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo. In 2018, my husband and I moved to Portland, where I continued to work as a prospect researcher for the Oregon Community Foundation and Portland State University, before leaving to start my solo publishing company, Blue Canary Publishing LLC. I published my first novel, a YA sci-fi called Racing Chaos in 2022, and am in the beta-reading stage of a second novel. I currently split my time between Portland and Valencia, Spain. Highlights from the Major? The Brontë and Gaskill course, a course on ‘Impolite Subjects’ in early America, and a course on the literature of the French Revolution.

YUKI MORGAN ’21, Technical Writer

After Graduation? Writing manuals for Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), big machines that test the chips that go into phones, cars, and other electronics. It’s a cool gig, pays well, and it’s interesting getting to follow the engineers around and distill their wealth of knowledge into clear and concise manuals. I also have a website where I’m writing instructions for handsewn stuffed animals that I designed. I continue to meet with other UPS alums every week to work on our writing projects and share them with each other. Highlights from the Major? The professors. 100% Their passion fueled mine. The variety of topics the English Department offered dazzled me (magic and religion in medieval times, the Bible as literature, Ecopoetry, the list goes on). I still talk about these classes to my friends and coworkers.

SCOTT ORDWAY ’06, Composer; Associate Professor and Head of Music Composition

After Graduation? Following graduate study in music composition at the University of Oregon, Freie Universität Berlin, and the University of Pennsylvania, I joined the faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Currently, I serve as Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Composition Department in the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. More information about my recent work is available at scottordway.com. Degree Relevance? Two years after graduation, I published an essay in James Joyce Quarterly that I wrote in Bill Kupinse’s seminar. Although I went on to an artistic rather than a scholarly career, I’ve always been proud of this accomplishment. As a composer, text remains central to my work. I write my own texts for many of my compositions; in others, I edit, compile, and translate words from other sources. In both cases, though, the sensitivity to language that I developed as an English major at UPS remains one of my greatest strengths as a composer. Highlights from the Major? Nearly every course I took as an English major at UPS has, in one way or another, remained with me. I think often of discussing Joyce with Bill Kupinse, studying existentialism with Hans Ostrom, and encountering the eighteenth century with J. David Macy, whose sartorial and epistolary mannerisms I remember with delight and occasionally summon the courage to impersonate now that I am a professor myself. More than any individual body of knowledge, though, my experience at UPS opened my eyes to the wider world of intellectuals: who they are, what they do, and why they matter. Ever since, I have been drawn to engage with those who think, read, and write publicly about culture and society. Literature was my first love, but over the years I have found great pleasure in studying history, economics, foreign policy, political development, linguistics, and other subjects. I credit my English major with inaugurating my interest in most of what now keeps me interested, engaged, and curious about the world on any given day.

DAN OTSUKI ’16, Attorney

After Graduation? Bartended for a few years, went to law school, became a lawyer. Degree Relevance? Writing briefs, reading filings, cases, etc. Highlights from the major? Professors Mike Benveniste and John Wesley.

JENA ROBINSON ’06, Life Coach and TESL Teacher

After Graduation? My journey post Puget Sound has been a wild ride. I’ve been collecting experiences as I’ve moved around quite a bit, living in different states and several different countries. Currently, I’m living abroad and my main activities include life coaching and English teaching to both local and global students and clients. Degree Relevance? After graduation, I participated in an AmeriCorps VISTA program in California, using my English skills in a one-year position. This role focused on fundraising and newsletter communications for the Board of Directors and interested parties. Later on, I completed a novel (unpublished) for the fun of it. My next adventure was moving to South Korea to teach English at a public elementary school for two years. Following that, I chose to continue my education by getting a Master of Arts degree in English (emphasis on Teaching English as a Second Language) and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching Writing. Highlights from the Major? I recall deciding to be an English major because I knew my writing skills were suboptimal. I had hope to improve them at Puget Sound. While I remember enjoying all of my English professors and courses, especially the creative writing ones, the two ‘Julies’ active during my experience (Julie Neff-Lippman and Julie Christoph) were the most memorable and encouraging as I navigated my learning process.

SAMI ROSS ’12, Advertising Copywriter

After Graduation? I have been a copywriter for the last decade, working for ad agencies, start-ups, and small businesses. I also occasionally write for a variety of magazines and other publications. Degree Relevance? I use my English degree everyday as a professional writer, and I’d say even more so lately because I’m working on writing a book. Highlights from the Major? The creative writing track resonated strongly with me—I will always fondly remember my poetry and fiction writing classes. I recently found my final project from advanced poetry and it brought back some good memories (and only made me cringe a little bit!).

MEGAN STILLS ’20, Public Relations

After Graduation? Living and working in Seattle at Brooks Running. English-related activities include freelance blogposts and some (paid) copy editing and (unpaid) book reviews, and a creative writing class at Hugo House. Highlights from the Major? John Wesley’s senior seminar! Anything taught by Benveniste, and my freshman seminar with Priti Joshi.

RACHEL SODERSTROM ’13, PhD Candidate, Research Officer

After Graduation? I completed a Master of Social Work and worked in mental health / social services across the US and Australia. In 2020, I joined the University of Melbourne’s doctoral program in management (Industrial Relations / Human Resources Management focus). I am currently researching topics in disability inclusion, labor market intermediation, and business information systems. I also work on several research teams at the university and teach in my department’s undergraduate organizational behavior subject. Degree Relevance? While I have not formally pursued creative writing or academic work in English, I utilize the associated analytical and academic writing skills on a daily basis in my role as a Ph.D. student. I have copy edited numerous dissertations and publications for international academics, coauthored several research reports for industry partners, and currently have one academic publication. I also teach organizational behavior in my department, which functions as a faculty-specific training ground for undergraduate students to learn theory-driven analysis and academic writing. This further includes case analysis, and I teach a critical style that draws on techniques I borrowed from literary analysis.

SAMANTHA SUTPHIN ’06, High School Teacher

After Graduation? I’ve been teaching high school English for fifteen years. I’m married and a mom to two children. Highlights from the Major? Everything. I found my love and passion for English at UPS and would not have become a teacher without my experience there, and the wonderful professors I had, like Prof. Tracy Hale, Prof. Ostrom, and Prof. Joshi. I remember getting to take a class on Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, getting exposed to a lot of literature I would never have read on my own.

LEAH WEITZ ’14, Senior Software Product Manager of Life Sciences

Degree Relevance? I leveraged my English education to get my foot in the door in software, doing content marketing for a tech startup. Since then, I have grown my career in software and settled into product management, with a specialization in life sciences and clinical trial software. As a product manager, it’s my job to speak with customers and prospects to understand their business needs, then convey those needs to the software development team in technical language as engineering requirements. I credit my English education in giving me the skills required to take that input from my customers, distill it down to the most core concepts, and translate those core concepts into language that my technical audience will understand. I am a big advocate of offering opportunities in tech to individuals with humanities backgrounds, and feel that no other degree could have prepared me more effectively for my job today. My career has allowed me to learn about incredible life science technologies, and has taken me around the world, from Sydney, Australia to Poznan, Poland. Highlights from the Major? Too many fond memories to count! John Wesley, Ann Putnam, George Erving, Mike Benveniste, Bill Kupinse, Tiffany MacBain—all absolute heroes! I loved reading Paradise Lost with Wesley and Erving, digging into Hemingway’s works with Putnam, and reading the Booker winners with Kupinse. I also got a “yes I said yes I will Yes” tattoo to commemorate my completion of Joyce’s Ulysses several years after the fact—still one of my proudest achievements! And I still try to notice the “strange and startling” around me every day—thank you, Ann Putnam, for that brilliant concept!

MORWARI ZAFAR ’04, Applied Anthropologist

After Graduation? I moved to Washington, D.C. for my M.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in international development. I subsequently worked in Afghanistan on post-conflict economic development projects for three years, prior to moving to D.C. to work on cross-cultural military education programs. From 2013-2017, I completed my Ph.D. in Anthropology at Oxford University, and started my own research and education services firm in the D.C. area. I have also worked as an adjunct professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University since 2019. Degree Relevance? I became fascinated by ethnographic writing while working on my BA in English at UPS, which began my academic and career path in anthropology. Additionally, I’ve published a few op-eds and a memoir essay in Granta. Highlights from the Major? I loved Alison Tracy Hale’s American literature class. She was a tough instructor with high standards, but her passion for literature and good writing was infectious. Prof. Neff-Lippman’s class on writing and culture changed my trajectory from journalism to anthropology. My family immigrated to the U.S. in 1996 (via London from Afghanistan), and Farsi is my native tongue and English is my third language. While I’ve always loved English, I felt self-conscious about my command of it. My UPS professors were genuinely understanding and supportive. Through them, I was able to cultivate a greater sense of self-confidence, both as a student and as an immigrant.