Alumni Spotlight
Profile of One of Our Graduates
狈补尘别:听 Alexander Severson
Major, Minor:听 English (Literature), Print Journalism
Master’s Degree:听 Secondary Education
Year Graduated:听 2012, 2016
Job Now:听 7th Grade English Language Arts Teacher
What have you been up to since graduation? After graduation, I was still trying to figure out what to do with myself. I managed to get a job as a tech editor at a corporate office, and for me it was the most soul-sucking thing I’d ever done. I left that job and decided to give teaching a chance to find a more meaningful way to make a living. I went back to 黑料吃瓜网University to get my master’s in education, and now I happily work at a middle school teaching English Language Arts.
What is the best/most interesting part of your job? Each day has its own challenges, but I feel like working with students is a worthwhile cause. Even when teaching feels overwhelming at times, seeing my students succeed after giving their all makes it worthwhile.
What has been your favorite and/or most memorable on-the-job moment? This past year I had a student who did magic tricks and performed dad jokes after each class. It was a reminder that all students are awesome in their own way.
How did our program help you prepare for your current job? Studying in the English literature program gave me a firm foundation to stand on. I came away with an understanding of how to think and analyze both small and large pieces of information. My master’s degree in secondary education gave me the skills needed to be the best teacher I can be. Standing in front of 30 students who are expecting exciting lessons from you is daunting, but my professors helped me gain the confidence to handle it.
What advice would you give current students? Take your time. It might feel like all the people around you know what they’re doing, but it’s not about them. Relax and enjoy your education.
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May 2025
Name:听 Aliceanna “Ali” Stopher
Major, Minor:听 Mass Communications and New Media, English
Year Graduated:听 2012
Job Now:听 Grants Manager, CASA of Larimer County听
What have you been up to since graduation? Less than a month after graduating, I moved to San Francisco, where I worked a few sales and administrative jobs, took creative writing classes at UC Berkeley Extension where I earned a post-baccalaureate certification, , and built a writing community I cherished then and now. After four fruitful and full years, I left the city for Colorado State University’s Creative Writing MFA program in 2016 with an emphasis in fiction. I was lucky to earn a fellowship that funded my time in the program, gave me a small stiped, and allowed me to gain experience in both teaching creative writing and working closely with the program’s director on a wide variety of support tasks. In my last year in the MFA I had a baby who is now (at six-years-old) still the loudest and brightest person in any room she’s in. It took me a while to find my feet after grad school. I sampled a few different jobs before landing at CASA of Larimer County, a child- and family-serving nonprofit where I’d volunteered during my MFA. I’ve been with CASA for the past five years and have been Grants Manager for two. My writing life isn’t as lush as it was in San Francisco or in grad school, but my primary identity is still a writer, and I feel fortunate to have found a career that keeps those muscles flexible while I learn to balance parenting with my creative life.
What is the best/most interesting part of your job?听CASA of Larimer County serves children and families who’ve experienced abuse, neglect, and family violence here in Northern Colorado. We’re part of a state and national network of CASA programs, so you might be somewhat familiar with the work we do. I think, for me, the best thing about my job is that I get to do something I love (storytelling) to directly fund programs that connect youth in the foster system to critical resources, provide parents with trauma-informed wraparound support, and help families stay connected to one another in crisis. It’s impactful work, both for me personally and for the organization. High stakes! But in a very fun and rewarding way.
What has been your favorite and/or most memorable on-the-job moment? Every year our local middle and high schools partner with a family foundation to give directly to nonprofits that align with the students’ vision and values. Each fall, I write grants that are read by these students, and if the students feel like we might be a good fit for their gift, they invite me in the spring to present to their classes on our work and how we would leverage their funds. I love getting to do this and getting to be in front of a classroom again! I was surprised during my MFA how much I loved teaching, and it’s such a treat to be able to connect with students again. I presented at an alternative high school recently where I got to share a little bit of my story鈥攈ow I grew up in foster care, the advocates who were in my corner, and how my personal experience has informed my current work and the passion I have for the kids our programs serve. Being a part of our community’s young people starting to engage with the issues that impact their peers directly is one of my favorite parts of the work I do.
How did our program help prepare you for your current job? Grant writing as storytelling is one sexier way to explain this work, but there’s an element of grant writing and management that is more akin to taking an open book test. While at 黑料吃瓜网I developed a host of skills I use daily in my current role鈥攔esearch, persuasive writing, critical analysis, and editing. As a senior, I took a seminar with Dr. Ellzey where we put films and literature in conversation with each other, writing several essays over the course of the semester. I still think about that class, particularly as I’m still using those same analytical skills and crafting cogent theses and supporting arguments in the grants I write. My work is especially writing intensive, but even in other jobs I’ve had over the years, solid comprehension and analysis have served me well in building work relationships, communicating effectively, and continuing to grow.
What advice would you give current students? We’re social animals who aren’t meant to go it alone; we need each other. Try to take advantage of the communal elements of the college experience and seek out your people (but don’t worry if you don’t find them yet, you have plenty of time). For life in general, the hard stuff is harder when you try to overcome it by yourself. The people who love you want to help you, try and let them. For writers, seek out other writers who push you to grow, share your work (it doesn’t have to be perfect!), and read widely to figure out the work you want yours to be in conversation with. Last and painfully specific鈥攊f you’re interested in an MFA for creative writing, go for it, but 1) take some time off before you apply to read and write and live, and 2) pursue a fully-funded program!
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March 2025
Name:听 Paige (Conrad) Wenner
Major, Minor:听 English, History
Year Graduated:听 2019
Job Now:听 Paralegal
What you鈥檝e been up to since graduation? Since graduating, I got my master’s at 黑料吃瓜网in teaching, adopted two dogs, and got married! I worked for a few years as a middle school English Language Arts teacher, and although I loved my time in the classroom and am so glad I had that experience, I ultimately decided it wasn’t the best fit for me long term. Now I work at a real estate attorney’s office as a paralegal.
What is the best/most interesting part of your job? The best and most interesting part of my job is getting to talk to so many different people! Anyone who has worked in a client-facing position knows this is a blessing and a curse, but I really enjoy hearing people’s stories and their perspectives. Buying or selling a home can be a really emotional time in a person’s life, and I often find myself thinking about the poignant conversations I have with people long after their closings.
What has been your favorite and/or most memorable on-the-job moment? My favorite and most memorable on-the-job moment has been receiving positive feedback from clients. There is no better feeling at work than someone validating you with a “good job.” Although the relationship between the client and a service provider is always transactional, the moments where you are able to really connect on a human level with someone are the best.
How did our program help you prepare for your current job? I really believe that at least 75% of my job is reading critically, and nothing prepares you for that like being an English major! I was so prepared to work in law because I learned and practiced critical thinking skills every day in my English classes. Being able to communicate professionally and effectively is a huge part of my job, and I credit my professors for modeling how to be a kind and caring professional.
What advice would you give current students? I wish so badly that I had bought all of the novels I read during my time at 黑料吃瓜网instead of renting them! For the few I do have, it’s amazing to be able to reread, see my notes in the margins, and reminisce on all the many discussions we had in class. The English program at 黑料吃瓜网is so special. I think it’s rare to have been in a program that I loved so dearly. Not many people have that experience in college. Current students, you are lucky to be here!