Minor in Writing Alums 2013-19

Jen Durow • History 2013
I completed an MS degree in Survey Methodology at University of Michigan in 2016 and currently work as a survey methodologist at the American Institutes for Research. I use the skills learned in the Minor for grant writing, and to communicate technical findings to nontechnical audiences. 7/19

Henny Tasker • History 2013
I am a digital learning librarian at the University of Michigan. I apply design-thinking to online learning environments. In my spare time I write for the web and knit ambitious sweaters. 1/22

Salvatore Aiello • Spanish, Biomedical Sciences 2014
Since graduating I spent a year off bumming around Ann Arbor then enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program. This fall I started medical school in Chicago. Not one to stray from writing, I have found myself taking continuing education writing classes at a local community college. With my remaining free time, I've considered joining an adult kickball league... but I don't think I take myself that seriously. 10/16

Matt Komorowski • Political Science 2014
I live in New York City and work for a non-profit in sustainable finance (read: supporting companies that are improving our planet). 8/19

Kira Luciano • Philosophy 2014
After working as a writer at a law firm in Ann Arbor for two years, I moved to Chicago to attend Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. I graduated from law school in May 2019 and found out just last week that I passed the Illinois Bar Exam! I'm now an associate at a firm here in Chicago. The Sweetland Minor in Writing program was one of the best academic experiences I had in college and has already proved to be immensely useful for my budding legal career. Go Blue! 10/19

Neeyati Shah • Communication Studies 2014
I'm a Community Engagement Librarian in Madison, WI. I work with community groups, nonprofits, and city government to develop programs and services with a focus on equity and social justice. My experiences with the Minor in Writing and peer tutoring at Sweetland inform my research/reference practice, grant writing, and ability to communicate and collaborate with different audiences on a daily basis. 7/19

Anna Berger • Psychology 2015
Based in New York City, I am working at Marriott International on the Global Paid Media strategy and planning team. I moved into this role after two and a half years in creative advertising agency positions. I work with in-house marketing teams to ensure paid media strategies are on-brand and pushing the business forward. I spend most of my time traveling, both for work and leisure, and I'm loving every minute! 7/19

Jessica Golden • Political Science 2015
Since graduation and saying goodbye to Ann Arbor, I moved to Chicago to continue my Midwest adventures. I have spent the last 4 years working at Deloitte within the Advisory practice, focusing on regulatory and compliance. I constantly have the opportunity to use my Minor in Writing within my role and have had the opportunity to travel around the country for my clients. In my spare time, I love to travel to new cities, go to baseball games and go for a run along Lake Michigan. 7/19

Andrea Caldwell (Johnson) • Business Administration 2015
I currently live and work in Seattle, WA as a regional director of marketing at Boeing. It has been exciting to continue to apply my BBA education, as well as my Minor in Writing, in a dynamic, global role that takes me around the world. Outside of work I enjoy hiking and getting outside in the Pacific Northwest, as well as traveling! 10/19

Katie Koziara • Public Policy 2015
I moved to DC shortly after graduating from the Ford School. During my first two years in DC, I managed the social media portfolio at the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit working to make the government more effective. I now work for PhRMA as a public affairs senior manager, putting the skills I learned during the Minor in Writing program to good use each day while drafting speeches and op-eds for our executive leadership team. I remain grateful for the Sweetland community; I had many "ah-ha" moments during my Minor in Writing classes and the program helped shape my career trajectory. 7/19

Hannah Maine • English 2015
Manager of Alumni Communications at Saginaw Valley State University in Bay City, Michigan. 7/19

Michael Mitchell • English; Biochemistry minor 2015
I've now been working at Blizzard Watch — a website that focuses on news and editorials relating to Blizzard Entertainment video games — for a little over four years, having been promoted from freelance writer to Senior Editor. I'm also working as a Producer for Armed Mind, a creative agency that was actually founded by a former U of M alumnus. We help outline and create promotional campaigns for a number of clients, ranging from Twentieth Century Fox to Warner Brothers and many more! All in all, my Minor in Writing experience has been integral to making my way into the writing and media industry, and I couldn't be more grateful! 7/19

Sophia Peng • Neuroscience 2015
After 4 unforgettable years in Ann Arbor, I moved to upstate New York for medical school. But I found my way back to the Midwest and am now a Neurosurgery resident physician at University of Illinois at Chicago! 7/19

Sarah Spitery • Business Administration 2015
After graduation, I moved to Chicago to pursue a career in Higher Education consulting at Huron Consulting Group. I specialize in helping institutions become more operationally efficient and compliant in administering sponsored research. 7/19

Kaitlynn Bayne • Biomolecular Science 2016
I live in Ann Arbor, where I have been working at a biotech company since I graduated from undergrad three years ago. I completed my Masters program in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in August 2018. I recently attended my first conference, where I used my Minor in Writing skills to present a poster and give a talk about cell therapy manufacturing. 7/19

Phill DiCenso • Bachelor of Science in Information 2016
Living in Ferndale, Michigan and working at Ford Motor Company as an IT strategist, I have been trying to keep a place for writing in my life. Through articles at work and songwriting on the side, I've been able to keep my passion for writing alive. 7/19

Maya Kalman • Political Science 2016
Since graduation, I have moved to Washington, D.C. I received my J.D. with Honors from the George Washington University Law School in May 2019. After taking the Bar Exam, I will be joining the Superior Court of the District of Columbia as a Law Clerk to the Senior Judges. 7/19

Hallie Parker • Communication Studies 2016
Immediately after graduation, I moved into New York City. I worked at an agency called Carat, where I did media buying (television) for both Procter & Gamble and General Motors. After three amazing years on the agency side, I moved to the publisher side, and currently work for Nickelodeon at Viacom. Within the Adverting Sales department, I use my writing skills and creativity on a daily basis to sell multi-platform campaigns to major toy clients nationwide. 7/19

Allison Raeck • Communication Studies 2016
I'm a copywriter at Redhead Design Studio, a marketing, branding and design agency in Lansing, Michigan. I write copy for anything from publications to social media posts to billboards. If I’m not writing, I’m editing other peoples’s writing (prompting fond flashbacks of my time at the Peer Writing Center). Previously, I worked at a public relations agency in Chicago that serves with business-to-business tech startups for two years before finding my way back to Michigan. 7/19

Adam Renuart • Screen Arts & Cultures 2016
After spending a final summer in Ann Arbor, I moved down to Atlanta to work for CNN in their Sports Department. 10/16

Sarah Schuman • Communication Studies 2016
After graduating in 2016, I moved back to Chicago and worked at Spark Foundry for 2.5 years, where I managed programmatic advertising campaigns for clients like Sherwin Williams and Nature's Way. In December 2018, I started working at GumGum, an advertising technology company, where I'm a solutions manager covering all Central Region accounts. 7/19

Zach Shaw • Business 2016
These days, I cover Michigan football, basketball and hockey for 247 Sports and CBS Sports. I still live in the campus part of Ann Arbor, but instead of going to class and paying tuition, I get paid and write about sports. My content ranges from features, game stories, columns, investigative work, podcasts, video coverage and more. 10/16

Alexis Stempien • Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience 2016
During my Sweetland courses, I dreamed of working on science videos. Now, I'm a full-time script editor for the YouTube channel SciShow! Every day, I research, write, and edit content that reaches more than seven million people. I've also had the chance to write a line of children's science kits and even co-hosted a documentary about the Apollo program! 7/19

Rachel Wilson • Chemical Engineering 2016
After three years as a process development scientist for a leukemia lab at the Seattle Children's Research Institute, I am now a law student at UC Berkeley. I am pursuing a career in intellectual property law. 7/19

Evan Zegiel • Music 2016
Currently, I'm pursuing my Master's degree in Tuba Performance and Chamber Music at the University of Michigan. I'm taking professional auditions for orchestra jobs, and I am teaching some students. Recently, I had a few poems accepted for publication in a Florida-based literary magazine. I've also started a band called House of Hummingbirds which combines spoken word poetry and post-rock music. 10/16

Michael Gawlik • History 2017
Since graduating, I've worked at UM as an event and communication coordinator for the Departments of History and Women's Studies. In August, I'll begin a MA in visual communication at the University of North Carolina School of Media and Journalism, where I hope to work on digital humanities projects that make literature, history, and gender studies accessible to broader audiences. I'm excited to continue improving the design and writing skills that I developed in the Minor in Writing!  7/19

Lauren Guldan • Information Science 2017
I spent the first two years of my post-grad career at IBM, where I joined the company as a Digital Strategy consultant. With IBM, I had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients in the US and Mexico where I gained experience as a user researcher and strategist. I now live in New York and work as a UX Researcher at Verizon. Outside of work, I stay busy working on personal writing projects focusing on the exploration of Generation Y based on existing societal conditions and technology. 10/19

Rachel Hutchings • Screen Arts 2017
Since graduating, I moved to Los Angeles and began a career in the entertainment industry. I currently work at Untitled Entertainment as an assistant to talent managers, where I help clients get cast in upcoming film and television projects, and provide feedback on current scripts in development. I still keep busy with my own writing when I can! 11/20

Katie Lehman • Communication Studies 2017
I'm still in Michigan and actually still with the University, working down in Detroit at the U-M Detroit Center. 7/19

Carly Paull-Baird • Communication Studies 2017
Working in Public Relations at Edelman in Chicago, IL. 7/19

Caroline Rafferty • Communication Studies 2017
I live in downtown Chicago and work in Portfolio Experience for Workday Ventures, the strategic capital arm of Workday, Inc., focused on accelerating the growth of emerging enterprise software companies that are valuable to Workday customers and complementary to Workday products. I get to put my Minor in Writing and Minor in Entrepreneurship to work every day! Go Blue! 7/22

Eli Scheinholtz • Communication Studies, Political Studies 2017I work in policy communications for DoorDash in New York City, helping to tell our story about how we’re able to grow and empower local economies. From driving the communications for our legislative campaigns to leading exciting new product announcements, it has been an incredible opportunity, and I’m grateful that the Sweetland Writing Center prepared me well to build a compelling narrative and know how to share it! 1/24

Lexi Wung • Psychology 2017
After graduating I taught middle school English Language Arts in Baltimore City through Teach For America. I then came back to Ann Arbor to receive my J.D. at the University of Michigan Law School. I am now an attorney at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago! I use the skills gained from my Sweetland minor every single day as I read, write, and analyze caselaw. Being an effective attorney is about being able to tell a compelling story, and my Sweetland minor has been an invaluable tool in my career. 1/24

Danielle Colburn • English 2018
I've been working in management consulting at Capgemini Invent since January 2021. I send a lot of emails, and most of my job right now is creating communications for my client. I rely every day on the writing skills I learned at Sweetland. And I keep my love for reading and writing alive with a book club with my best friends in Chicago! 1/23

Mollie Fox • History of Art 2018After graudating with a degree in History of Art and minors in Writing and Museum Studies, I stayed at Michigan for the Masters of Management. I then spent two years at Google as an account manager helping small businesses with their Google Ads strategy. I now am back in the art world at Sotheby's in New York. I manage paid marketing globally for the Buy Now (e-commerce) business. From writing ad copy to case studies and performance reports, I am constantly utilizing what I learned from my time at Sweetland to effectively communicate with colleagues and clients around the world. 1/24

Lindsay Hiser • Communication Studies, Organizational Studies 2018
After graduating in December 2018, I moved to Washington, D.C. to begin a four-month internship at the NPR headquarters. As the Institutional Giving intern with NPR's Development division, I learned how to find prospective partners, cultivate relationships with large foundations, and navigate the grant cycle to expand the range of donors that support NPR's journalism. Following my internship, I began a full-time position with the Development division as Stewardship Coordinator. A Michigan native, I currently reside in Washington, D.C.  3/19

Ashley Preston • Communication Studies 2018I excelled in writing roles for internal and external communications for five years before switching paths into project and operations management. I began a program management role in the automotive finance industry in fall 2023 and expect to graduate with my Master of Business Administration in spring 2024. Writing has played an integral role in my professional career and continues to be a critical skill, even outside of more journalistic roles. 1/24

Elise Vocke • International Studies 2019
I am living and working in Madrid, Spain. I received my master's degree at IE Business School in Madrid and am working in sales at a startup in Spain now. I learned how to foster my creativity to create content that is sent out to potential clients regarding the startup's services. 1/24