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Abigail Haynie

Abi is graduating with her Bachelor’s in English.

Abi Haynie

As a transfer student, Abi was incredibly nervous about starting over at a brand new institution. Having formed connections with the English professors at her other school, she thought the adjustment would be daunting. Though unsure about finding a place at Millersville, she found that she was wrong.

Several professors amazed her these past two years. Dr. Craven helped her move things around so she could graduate on time and also assisted her in finding a direction for her thesis project. She calls Dr. Pfannenstiel “an awesome thesis advisor.” She also says that Dr. Pfannenstiel “was incredibly patient with me as I undertook this huge project and made me think about why my project was important to me and the English field.” Another professor, Dr. Kirsten Bookmiller (Government and Political Affairs), sat down to helped her realize that she could use her English degree to pursue interests in human rights and global politics. She is eternally grateful for the academic community at Millersville for making her last two years of undergrad such a special experience.

Her thesis included reusable web content to demonstrate the importance of English majors in the workforce and the career options that English majors have post-grad. She wanted to highlight the broader use of the skills that English majors hone, showing that they can do much more than just write and teach!

AbI did a copywriting internship at Lupeer, a digital marketing company. She wrote online content for a variety of B2B companies with an emphasis on writing manuals and newsletters. She also wrote content for some B2C companies in the form of blog posts, landing pages, sales events, and other marketing campaigns.

Abi’s favorite course was English 274, “Craft of Writing” with Dr. Archibald. The focus was on TV writing for that semester. Even though she does not plan to pursue a job doing screenwriting and does not consider herself great at creative writing, this course pushed her out of her comfort zone. She says that by the end of the semester, she had a pilot episode for an original TV show written!

Presenting with Mikaela, Abi touted the benefits of a digital portfolio at Made in Millersville with her presentation “Building your Brand: Crafting a Digital Portfolio.” Abi was a contributing editor to the Made in Millersville Journal and also participated in the organization Delta Zeta.

After graduating, Abi plans to apply to graduate school at Villanova and Virginia Tech with hopes to earn a master’s degree in political science with a focus on global politics.

Congratulations Abi!  We look forward to hearing more about your career as you write your next chapter.

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Mikaela Felty

Mikaela is graduating with her Bachelor’s in English.

Mikaela’s friends that supported her were one of the best parts of her Millersville experience. Her favorite memories with those friends include feeding the swans at the pond, playing Dungeons and Dragons in the library, and eating lunch together in the Anchor. She says of them: “While our paths may be going in different directions, we will always hold our memories in our hearts.”

Mikaela’s favorite English course was Reading Our World: Stranger Things taught by Dr. Carla Rineer. She was inspired by several classes she took with Dr. Rineer, but especially the Stranger Things course, where she learned a range of dark themes in literature and read stories which reflected them. With interests leaning more toward the dark and mysterious, Mikaela was always very eager to come to class. The course also introduced her to one of her favorite novels: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.

Working as a Communications Intern during the Spring 2020 semester at Community Bible Church in Marietta, Mikaela managed the CBC social media accounts, processed requests to the communications department, helped in the planning of events, wrote promotional material for upcoming sermons, and more!

Mikaela considers the internship to have been fun, and she learned a lot of things in preparation for future professional work.  Her supervisor Katie said:

I loved getting to have Mikaela as an intern! I wish that we were able to finish out her internship in person, but she did a great job assisting with projects, completing tasks efficiently, and working with other departments to work on projects and tasks. I was always impressed with how quickly and efficiently she completed her work and her willingness to work on whatever was assigned to her!

During her time on campus,  Mikaela touted the benefits of a digital portfolio at Made in Millersville with her presentation “Building your Brand: Crafting a Digital Portfolio.” Mikaela also participated in the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (Allies) organization.

After graduation, she hopes to get a job in her field. After working for about a year, she may try to return to Millersville for her Masters in English.

We hope to see you back in a year or so, Mikaela!  Until then!

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Kitsey Shehan

Kitsey is graduating with a BSE degree, and she plans to teach.

Editions of George Street Press

A positive part of Kitsey’s experience at Millersville has been being a part of a community that constantly encourages growth and positivity. She has been involved with George Street Press since her freshman year at the university. Her sophomore year, she became president and helped the club grow in recognition, submissions, and members throughout her time here.

Kitsey’s final edition of the George Street Press is online because of the pandemic.  She describes it as a “true labor of love.”

Kitsey’s favorite course was Innovative Poetry with Dr. Judy Holden-Sullivan. She says it opened her eyes to the concept of poetry as contemporary art. Furthermore, she considers the professor as a friend and mentor throughout her college experience.

Kitsey with the 2019 GSP

Dr. Halden-Sullivan says of her: “Kitsey is a fearless innovator, persistently open to possibilities for inventive thinking–and it’s time for her to bring her gifts to the world. I wish you the best of everything always, Kitsey!”

Kitsey is 2nd from right

Studying pedagogy, Kitsey did her student teaching through PDS with Penn Manor High School. After graduation, she plans on finding a job teaching in the area at either the middle or high school level.

Congratulations, Kitsey! You will be much missed.

Grad Students

Joseph Lacombe

Joe is a teacher at Warwick Middle School graduating with his Masters degree.

Joe Lacombe

Congratulations Joe on completing your Masters!  To complete his degree, Joe decided to write a creative thesis, entitled ‘Bird’s Eye: The Journal of Leah Manifold.’ It is a modern-day, absurdist retelling of the Biblical story of Job told from the wife’s perspective. It is epistolary in structure, as it is told through a series of journal entries and editorial comments.

While completing his Masters, Joe also had work published by The George Street Press and MUsings. Although he was not involved in the organization of these publications, he appreciates all those involved in keeping these publications alive.

Joe Lacombe

One of his favorite experiences has been learning from top-notch professors who showed great understanding and displayed a great sense of humor that made him feel at home. He originally attended MU for his Post-Baccalaureate Secondary Certification, but continued on for his MA. He says, “I know I could have gone on to take graduate classes at other institutions; however, Millersville was the only university for me.”

Joe Lacombe

Joe has had great experiences with many classes. One was Creative Writing with Dr. Halden-Sullivan, which was incredibly fun and challenging, because he was introduced to some very interesting styles of poetry that he then had to emulate. Studying Paradise Lost with Dr. Miller was another great experience. Reading and discussing “Critical Theory” (the name of another class) with fellow students and Dr. D’Stair was the highlight of his week last semester. Studying Young Adult Literature with Dr. McCollum-Clark was another personal favorite for similar reasons.

Joe plans to continue teaching and to get some creative work published.

Joe, we look forward to reading your publications!