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Alumni Achievements

Additional Alumni Achievements


Featured Alum
Katie Linder, '05
Major: English

Career Path: Earned a master's degree in women's studies at Ohio State University and now is enrolled in a Ph.D. program in the same field at OSU. Teaches classes on writing, literary analysis and feminist theory. Research focus area is on film representations of education in the U.S. and the ways in which these representations help shape national narratives of education

Why Whitworth? "When I initially visited the campus, I couldn’t believe how nice the people were. I had always thought of college as a scary, competitive place, and I was so relieved to find both peers and faculty mentors who genuinely cared about me as a person in addition to focusing on my scholarly work. I knew Whitworth was the right choice for me when I found myself sharing meals with faculty members, talking with my peers at length about our favorite books, and seeing President Bill Robinson ride his bike around campus calling out to students by name."

Whitworth Activities: Co-founded a group called Women in Society Everywhere (W.I.S.E.) that supported conversations about gender as well as encouraged campus activism for women. "The group was a space for women and men to come together and talk about issues of gender and sexuality in a safe environment."

Quote: "Being a student at Whitworth taught me crucial critical thinking skills, how to work with diverse groups of people, and how to take on leadership roles within my community. I am a more effective writer, thinker, and activist because of what I learned there."

Influential Whitworth Experiences: "Participating in the women’s studies program was a huge influence on my current career. Whitworth nurtured my questions about gender oppression and social inequalities while also showing me ways that I could respond to these important issues. Without the many faculty in the English department challenging me to think through foundational aspects of identity politics and diversity issues, I’m not sure I would be where I am today."

Career Goals: "After completing my Ph.D. at OSU, I hope to become a faculty member or work with faculty development, which is another interest of mine. I love to teach, so continuing to work with students or working to train other teachers are my long-term career goals."


Here's what some Whitworth graduates are doing with their English degrees:

• Rachel Gray, '07, attended Kundiman, a prestigious Asian American poetry workshop in the United States; she is now enrolled in the MFA program at Indiana University.

• Josef Bookert, '08, is enrolled in the master's program in rhetoric at Carnegie-Mellon University.

• Anne O'Connor, '08, works for Logos Research Systems, Inc., which publishes multilingual Bible software.

• Beth Carlson,'08, received a Fulbright fellowship to teach English in Korea .

• Julie Lauterbach, '07, is enrolled in an MFA program at the University of Arizona.

• Karla Rose, '08, is earning a master's degree in African American studies at UCLA. She worked previously in the archives of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

• Ryan Hackenbracht, '06, earned an M.A. from The Pennsylvania State University, where he is currently a Ph.D. candidate and graduate instructor in the English department, with a specialization in Renaissance literature.

• Laura Adams, '06, is an associate underwriter with T. Rowe Price.

• Katie Orphan, '06, earned a master's degree in 19th-century literature and culture at the University of Sheffield, England.

• Tahlia Ganser, '05, is a reporter at The Skagit Valley Herald, in northwest Washington.

• Courtney Varney, '05, earned a master of library science degree from the University of Washington and is a young-adult librarian in Beaverton, Ore.

• Genelle Allen, '04, is attending Bread Loaf School of English, in Santa Fe, N.M.

• Kyle Jensen, '03, is an assistant professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Texas.