Class of 2015

Ashlan Andrews will teach English abroad in Thailand after graduation.

In July 2015, Molly Frazier accepted a position at the North Greenville Animal Hospital.

In Fall 2015, Leah Mayo began studies at the Walter F. George School of Law (Mercer Law) at Mercer University in Macon, GA.

MaryBeth Schaffner works at Playworks in Chicago, an organization which, as she says, “partners with schools to use games and play to promote a positive school environment for students, teachers, and staff.”

Jada Suber, the 2015 Outstanding Senior in Creative Writing, began the Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program at the Medical University of South Carolina in June 2015. In November 2015, Jada will present her poster “Studies on the Effect of Beta Glucans on Beneficial Bacteria” at the 2015 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in Seattle, WA.


Class of 2014

After graduation, Chris Fairfax worked as an Email and Inbound Marketing Specialist at Surgiform Technology, Ltd., in Lugoff, SC. In 2015, he became an agent at New York Life Insurance Company, and then later that year he became a Financial Services Professional at NYLIFE Securities, LLC.

Chantara Tolbert Morton works at The Palmetto Bank in Greenwood, SC.

For a year after graduation, Seth Warner, the 2014 Outstanding Senior in English and Creative Writing, taught ESL kindergarten in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong with Hong Kong Education Provider, Ltd. In Fall 2015, he will begin the English Education MAT program at the University of Georgia.


Class of 2013

In August 2015, Kyleen Carpenter received her MS in Counselor Education at the University of South Florida; she was a USF Honors LLC graduate assistant.

In Fall 2013, Sam Disharoon began law school at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Allison Johnson works at Blanchard Machinery Company in West Columbia, SC.

Carey Mears, the 2013 Outstanding Senior in Creative Writing, does marketing for Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance in St. Petersburg, FL.

In May 2015, Emma Reynolds received her M.Ed. in Counselor Education and Student Affairs at Clemson University. In April 2015, she received a Graduate Student Excellence Award. In June 2015, she became an Academic Advising and Coaching Specialist at Clemson University.


Class of 2012

After graduation, Cameron Cook, the 2012 Outstanding Senior in Creative Writing, worked as director of audience development at independent film company Paris MTN Scout in Greenville, SC. In October 2012, his short story, “Moans Like Sirens,” was selected to be filmed as part of the 2013 Expecting Goodness Short Film Festival. In 2013, he co-founded and became editor-in-chief at the website CultureMass, and then he began the MAT program at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. He has also been making short films, including Comfort, Hester, and Anywhere. In 2014, he created Elsewhere Station“a web series made entirely of standalone short films that feature supernatural, surreal, and dark subject matter.” The episodes include “Alms,” “Listeners,” and “Exeter” (all three of which Cameron wrote, directed, and edited), as well as “Open Door,” which Cameron co-directed and edited. In January 2015, the music video of “Fall Upon Me” he directed for Wasted Wine debuted. Cameron has accepted a position as an English teacher at Greer Middle College Charter High School in Taylors, SC, beginning Fall 2015.

Daniel Dye completed the Trinity College London TESOL program (Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages) at the International House of Bristol. He is currently a Customer Service Representative with Elauwit in Columbia, SC.

Julius Tripp Spradley will begin coursework for a Master in Divinity at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, TX (2012). In 2015, Julius became the Youth Ministry Director at New St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church in Dallas, TX.

Zach Sprouse took a full-time position as a paralegal for the law firm of Savage, Turner, Pinckney & Madison in Savannah, GA, after graduation. Currently, he works as an associate for The Ledlie Group in Atlanta, GA, with another PC English alumnus, Philip Hauserman ’04. Zach advises clients of the corporate communications consultancy on crisis communications, crisis planning and response strategies, marketing support, brand research, and media relations.

Amanda Sutker served two years after graduation in the Peace Corps teaching English in Ethiopia; Amanda kept a blog about her experiences. Part of her Peace Corps work included a literacy program with Hollins University MFA students (including Caroline Todd Whitney ’10); you can read more about it in the HollinsNews. In 2014, she accepted a yearlong fellowship at Trinity Forum Academy in Royal Oak, MD. In March 2015, Amanda accepted a writer-editor position for the Legislative and Public Affairs Office with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.


Class of 2011

Mary Carpenter took a job after graduation as the Executive Assistant at Flower Magazine in Birmingham, AL; in the spring term of her junior year, Mary interned at flower. Currently, she runs her own calligraphy/styling/design business, Love, Louise Designs.

TJ Dempsey wrote for the Examiner.com as the Greenville, SC, DVD examiner after graduation. In May 2015, he received an MA in Film Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Amanda Eason began graduate work at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (summer 2012).

In December 2011, Akeem Favor accepted a position as a Program Coordinator for FABBS in Washington, D.C. FABBS, which is the Federation of Associations in Brain and Behavioral Sciences, is a part of the American Psychological Association. Among Akeem’s duties will be creating web pages for the organization. In May 2012, he became a member of the news staff at Edge Media Network. In Fall 2013, he began an MA in International Multimedia Journalism at Newcastle Upon Tyne University in the United Kingdom. He is also an Arts staff writer at The Courier and a staff writer at JesmondLocal. In April 2015, Akeem was named the CNPer of the month by Careers in Nonprofits, “the award-winning leader in nonprofit and association staffing, connecting the best people with the best causes.”

McKenzie Wells received her MAT from North Greenville University (T. Walter Brashier Graduate School). In August 2014, she will start teaching English at Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville, SC.

Chelsea Wright Loper received MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi in 2013. She received the Ann Abadie Award for the best work in Documentary Media for the photography exhibit “Down Friendship: A Journey Home” in February 2012. Currently, she is the entertainment manager at Riverside EpiCenter in Austell, GA.


Class of 2010

For the next two to three years after graduation, William Baker will be working in Bratislava, Slovakia, with Trans World Radio, an international broadcast organization. As the content editor for anything written in English, William will find creative ways to use the internet as well as print.

Alison Feleppa is an Associate Producer, Press Release Writer, and Production Assistant at WGGS TV 16 in Taylors, SC.

Lori Garvin McCall obtained her master’s degree in Human Nutrition from Winthrop University (2012)  and is currently completing a dietetic internship in Asheville, NC. In June 2013, she received her Registered Dietician (RD) License.

Micah Mallory McCall works at Resource Financial Services in Columbia, SC.

Minor Callie Murr taught English for a year at L’Académie de Limoges in France (specifically the high school Lycée Renoir). She then worked as the general manager of Moe Joe Coffee Company LLC in Clemson, SC. In June 2015, Callie started working as a Better Living Consultant at Venterra Realty Apartments, a Better Way of Living, in Atlanta, GA.

In November 2010, Erin Smith Brushwood was accepted into the master of arts in teaching program at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC.

In summer 2013, Caroline Todd Whitney received her MFA in Children’s Literature from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. During her MFA, she wrote a children’s book for Amanda Sutker ’12‘s Peace Corps literacy program with Hollins; you can read more about it in the HollinsNews. Caroline worked as a Preconstruction Assistant at Marathon Electrical Contractors, Inc., and in 2014 became the company’s full-time FSO, which, as Caroline says, “means that I pretty much make sure that we maintain all the standards and meet all the requirements needed for the company to be able to do government contracts overseas. Oddly enough, it’s a fantastic career for an English major/me. I’m constantly having to do research and condense information down into digestible chunks (like writing a research paper); I have to lead training classes (teaching opportunities); as well as attend classes for my training. Marking classified documents is like doing MLA stuff—not the same format at all, but knowing the rules and how/when to use them. I love it. It helps that I work with some fantastic people. They all think I’m a superhero.”

After graduation, Katie Turpen worked in New Orleans with a program called YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) through the Presbyterian Church (USA). She received a master’s in Journalism from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and then she worked as a Development & Features Reporter at The Anniston Star. Currently, she is an assistant editor with Starnes Publishing in Birmingham, AL. Two of Katie’s stories took first place in the 2015 Alabama Press Association Better Newspaper Contest: “Winning the Battle” (Hoover Sun) for Best Feature Story Coverage, Division E; and “Chickens in the Hills” (Vestavia Voice) for Best News Feature Story Coverage, Division E. In August 2015, Katie began working for B-Metro: The Magazine of Metro Birmingham Living.


Class of 2009

After graduation, Charlie Johnson wrote for The Town Report in Westchester County, NY. He received a Paralegal Certificate from Duke University in 2013 and is currently a paralegal with Springs Creative Products Group in Rock Hill, SC. In Fall 2015, Charlie will begin studies at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law; his focus will be on immigration law.

Carolyn Negley is an Epic Certified Clinical Consultant and Programmer at Negley, Ott, & Associates.

In 2010, Nichole Rowe Grant completed her Master of Arts in Teaching (English) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


Class of 2008

Jarren Johnson is the Assistant Store Director at Bi-Lo in Clinton, SC.

Luke Rodgers joined the Myachi team full-time in Summer 2008, and he currently works at FAO Schwarz in New York City. The New York Times wrote an article about Luke and his co-workers. If you check out the accompanying slide show, you can see Luke in slides 5, 6, and 9. From 2008-2009,

From 2008-2009, Jeremy White taught high school math in Athens, Georgia. In Fall 2010, he began the Ph.D. program in mathematics at Clemson University; he earned his M.S. in Mathematical Sciences in May 2012 and has begun the coursework for his Ph.D. In 2014, Jeremy began a Technical Services position with Epic in Madison, WI.


Class of 2007

Val Alessandrini Huff received an MS in Counseling from the University of South Carolina. Currently, she is the Director of Digital Marketing & Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) for Hughes Media in Atlanta.

Currently, Elisabeth Behringer Huebner works in Frankfurt, Germany, as the Manager of PR & Communications for Worldhotels, an independent hotel group. Elisabeth says, “As I do write every day as part of my position, I would say I get to use my Creative Writing degree quite a lot.”

In 2007, Mary Giddings Dunlap took a position as a Communications Specialist with Fluor Daniel in Greenville. She says, “The job basically entails me doing the layout and design (AND WRITING) for the employee publication each month! I will be the assistant to the Editor of the publication, meanwhile traveling to do interviews with various employees of the company.” In 2015, Mary became the Marketing Lead at Fluor.

In June 2009, Jacky Gypin went back to Italy, where she taught for a month at an English language summer camp. In July, she headed to Greece, where she worked as an au pair for a six-year-old boy. Jacky worked at an English Language School, called California School of Languages, in Santa Monica as the housing and admissions coordinator. In her spare time, she also became a full blown TV star, beginning with The Ellen DeGeneres Show.  Jacky’s also been seen in the audiences of American IdolDancing with the Stars, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! Jacky taught English/ESL at YBM Preschool Academy in South Korea until 2015. After a short stay in the States, Jacky returns to Korea in August 2015 to begin teaching at Apguijeong 1 PSA.

From 2007 until 2010, Ryan Naus worked as a staff writer with The Grant County News in Williamstown, Kentucky. He has worked with Gander Mountain in a variety of positions, currently as Hardlines Manager in Charleston, SC.


Class of 2006

In 2008, Laura Knowles Cavanaugh received her MA in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, and she also worked as the Managing Editor for the Fuller Writing Center. Currently, she writes the Holistic Body Theology blog and is the office manager at Neurobehavior Services in Pasadena, CA.


Class of 2005

Julia Koets graduated from the University of South Carolina with an MFA in Poetry in 2008 and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Creative Writing (Poetry) at the University of Cincinnati. While at USC, she worked at the South Carolina Poetry Initiative and was the poetry editor at the USC’s literary journal, Yemassee. Julia has published several poems, including “For Julia in Little Armenia” in undefined Magazine, “Gentle Corners of the Night” in Euphony, and “Fallen” in Cutthroat. Currently (2009-2010), Julia works near Los Angeles with lower-income youth in an AmeriCorps program called the Academy for Literacy Through the Arts. As part of the program—which organizes, plans, recruits volunteers, etc. for arts-based literacy events—Julia has given several poetry workshops in schools and at community events. She also helps with the monthly arts-based Big Read events, and she’s also mentored two middle and high school-level girls groups. In 2012, Julia’s first book of poetry, Hold Like Owls, was published as the seventh annual winner of the South Carolina Poetry Book Prize; she wrote an essay about the book for Azalea Magazine. On 15 May 2012, her poem “Paper Birds” appeared on Verse Daily.


Class of 2003

Jennifer Dorminey graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens in 2006. While at UGA, Jennifer was a member of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, and her note entitled “‘Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit’: Should the United States’ FDA Have Followed the Lead of Great Britain’s MHRA in Banning Antidepressant Drug Use in Children and Adolescents?” was published in the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law 34.1 (2005). She also received the Notes Editor of the Year Award for 2005-2006. Jennifer returned to her hometown of Tifton, Georgia, as an associate in the law firm of Hall, Booth, Smith, & Slover.

Jill Walker completed her MFA in creative nonfiction at St. Mary’s College of California. She teaches at Pittsburg Senior High School in Pittsburg, CA.