Majoring in English at CC sets the stage for a variety of career paths

Rob Travieso ’02, Katrina Chapman ’02 and David Kieran ’00

The ability to read critically, write clearly, and thoroughly research a complicated subject were three essential skills that David Kieran ’00 honed as an English major at Connecticut College. Those skills also helped him succeed in the working world.

In his first job after graduation Kieran applied what he learned as a high school English teacher in Ledyard, Conn.

“It was a very direct transfer of skills from English major to English teacher,” he said. “Except now I was in charge of the discussion.”

Kieran, who is currently pursuing a doctorate in American studies from George Washington University, joined Katrina Chapman ’02 and Rob Travieso ’02 as panelists at the second annual English Department Alumni Symposium on Nov. 18. The three alumni discussed how majoring in English at CC prepared them for them for their varied career paths, shared their experiences and offered advice to some of the College’s current English students.

Chapman, a litigation paralegal, is applying to law school. As a CC student, she satisfied her interests in Victorian literature and public policy by majoring in English and participating in the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy’s Program in Community Action (PICA). She had a PICA internship with an attorney in Washington, D.C. to try out working in a law firm. She liked the work, and continued to pursue the field after graduation. As a paralegal she drafts and edits pleadings and researches cases in preparation for trial.

“My English major at Conn prepared me well for the law environment,” she said. “I don’t get to read Charlotte Bronte during work, but I edit, which I love, and construct arguments and create strategies.”

Travieso is a published fiction writer. After graduation he wrote for a couple of state visitor’s guides before earning an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College, which allowed him time to write. He is now an adjunct lecturer at Brooklyn and teaches English composition to freshmen and sophomores.

“I only teach 15 hours a week so I write at night,” he said.

Panelists answered a variety of questions posed by students and faculty in attendance, ranging from the challenges they face in their current position to how their passions have grown and changed since they were undergraduates. One student asked why Kieran chose to pursue a graduate degree.

“It is hard work, it takes a lot of commitment, and the payoff is uncertain,” Kieran said. “But you do it because it’s the kind of work you love.”