Alumna Ashley Lyles, who earned her undergraduate degree in Professional Writing from Michigan State University in 2016, was crowned Miss New York International and will go on to compete for the title of Miss International 2020 during the final competition in Kingsport, Tennessee, July 30-Aug. 1, 2020. Lyles, who now lives in New York City, is an award-winning medical journalist and an…
MSU’s Second Language Studies (SLS) Program welcomed scholars from around the world to present their research at the 42nd annual Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) September 20-22. One of the four plenary speakers at the forum was Luke Plonsky, who received his Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from MSU in 2011 and who organized MSU’s previous SLRF in 2009. “It…
The College of Arts & Letters has a new endowed faculty position thanks to the generosity of MSU alumna and former Ohio State Senator Karen Gillmor, who has been giving back to Michigan State University for the past decade. The Karen L. Gillmor, Ph.D. Endowed Professorship in Professional and Public Writing, created in Gillmor’s name, will help recruit and retain…
Only four short years after graduating from Michigan State University, Mark Schenfisch has been invited to join New York City’s prestigious Advanced BMI Lehman Engle Musical Theatre Writing Workshop.
MSU College of Arts & Letters alumnus Matt Geiger is leading teams of designers for one of the most successful sports drink brands in the world. As the Creative Lead and Brand Designer for Gatorade, Geiger is responsible for those innovative and iconic Gatorade package designs that appear in TV commercials and at local grocery stores in more than 80 countries. A…
An English degree may seem like an unlikely career path for a culinary entrepreneur, but to Michigan State University alumnus Will Branch, his B.A. in English has proved to be the perfect ingredient upon which he built a successful artisan sausage company. “As the owner of Corridor Sausage, my job requires effective communication, like how to put together marketing plans and…
MSU alumni Phillip and Tonya Collier believe in giving back and one way they are doing that is by supporting the College of Arts & Letters Citizen Scholars program, which is designed to prepare the next generation of diverse, high-achieving, and engaged citizen leaders. “The Citizen Scholars program is so energetic and exciting,” Tonya Collier said. “I attended the showcase…
During the first seven days of its release, 45 million Netflix accounts worldwide watched the film Bird Box, making it the most successful first week for a Netflix film to date. The man behind the idea and The New York Times bestselling book: novelist, songwriter, and MSU College of Arts & Letters English alumnus Josh Malerman, who says MSU is where his creative career began. …
Asmaa Walton hasn’t run short of opportunity after earning a bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Michigan State University in 2017. Following the completion of an M.A. in Art Politics from New York University (NYU) and a Toledo Museum of Art KeyBank Diversity Leadership Fellowship, Walton will join the St. Louis Art Museum this September as the 26th Romare Bearden Fellow. The Romare…
Alumna Jess Burkhardt is using the skills she learned at Michigan State University in her current position as an Associate Designer at Under Armour, a global manufacturer of sports and casual apparel and footwear. A 2016 graduate with a B.A. in Apparel and Textile Design (ATD) from the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, Burkhardt tailored her undergraduate courseworkto fit…