By Jewel Blanchard, Senior English Major
Reflecting on Dr. Edwin Battistella’s extensive career, and nearly twenty-two years as a faculty member at SOU, we celebrate his accomplishments, the impact he’s made on the community, and where he is headed next upon his retirement at the end of this term. Including faculty perspectives from Dr. Battistella and his colleagues, as well as student/alumni perspectives from Emily Perry, Blake Jordan, and Levi Coren.
Oregon Writing Project at SOU
Diane Heider, a teacher-consultant for the Oregon Writing Project at SOU, hosts workshops for students who are interested in college. Her workshops help students get admitted to prestigious colleges and earn significant scholarships.
SOU alumnus Ashley Berry, who graduated in 2018 with a BA in English, recently studied abroad at Oxford University in England, as part of the Columbia Publishing Course. Ashley shares her experience getting into the competitive program, her perspective on studying at the prestigious university, and how her time at SOU shaped her present and future.
Jewel Blanchard on the SOU English Club
Jewel Blanchard discusses the revitalization of the English Club at Southern Oregon University, and how interest is being renewed.
Mariah Roley ’17 on Speech-Language Pathology
Speech-Language Pathology is a great career path for English majors. Mariah Roley graduated from SOU in 2017 and after completing higher education at Pacific University, she now works as a speech pathologist in Colorado.
Margaret Perrow, a professor of English at Southern Oregon University, recently was recognized with the 2022 Oregon Excellence Award in Teaching English and Language Arts from the Oregon Council of Teachers of English.
In the beginning of spring term 2022, the SOU English Program hosted an informational Grad and Law School Panel for students. All four of the panelists are SOU English alumni who are furthering their education while utilizing their English degree: Jenean Mcgee (’15), Alexis Brooks (’18), Logan Brooks (’18), and Samara Diab (’19).
Melody Condon graduated from SOU in 2012 with her BA in English with a Professional Writing focus. Now, she works for AHA Strategy and Creative Agency as a content strategist. Melody’s diverse skill sets have allowed her to expand her opportunities within her past and current positions.
As Spring term 2022 approached, four SOU English majors were invited to present their literary essays at prestigious national and regional conferences. Curtis Tedrow-Harder, Hannah Lombard and Blake Jordan presented their literary essays at the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature, and Mekenzie Brock presented her paper at the Johns Hopkins University Richard Macksey Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Greta Mikkelsen came to SOU in 2010 as a returning student. She graduated with her BFA in Printmaking and Painting as well as her BA in English. Greta has had a successful career in marketing and now works at Harry & David as Vice President Creative Services.