English majors go on to careers in advertising, marketing, consulting, education, media, medicine, law, politics, and beyond. Around 95% of the alums of the Lehigh English Department say that their English major helps them in their current job, even if they work in a seemingly unrelated field.
One student currently working as a contract administrator says that “The English major prepared me for the corporate world in a unique but important way. I am able to problem solve and utilize critical thinking skills while creatively providing solutions as a direct result of this major.”
Another student, who graduated from Georgetown’s medical school after receiving her English degree from Lehigh, says, “My education in English literature taught me how to convey my thoughts in an eloquent and often convincing fashion. In medicine, you must convey an entire range of information from a devastating prognosis to a complicated treatment plan to people from all walks of life. To do so eloquently and compassionately can change you from a doctor to a healer.”
These alumni, like the ones on our Lehigh University English Major Alums page on LinkedIn, show how far a degree in English can take you.
Kate Prosswimmer '12, '13G
Kate Prosswimmer graduated from Lehigh University with a BA (‘12) and MA (‘13) in English Language and Literature. She is currently working at Margaret K McElderry Books as a Senior Editor. Kate's job is to “acquire, edit, and position award-winning, New York Times-bestselling children’s books ranging from picture books to young adult books.” She says that her English major has continued to help her by providing “the building blocks I needed to excel in my current career. It exposed me to a variety of different genres and methods of storytelling that provided a foundational context that I use to evaluate and shape stories everyday.” Kate has excellent advice for current Lehigh English majors: “Knowing how to communicate is one of the most marketable and important skills you can offer an employer. You’ll be able to take the skills you learn from your English major and apply them to any profession you can dream of!”
Thomas Verdi '17
Thomas Verdi (‘17) graduated from Lehigh University with a BA in English and a MENG in technical entrepreneurship. He is currently a filmmaker and creative director who owns a film-funding company where he writes, directs, and produces his own films. Thomas also does concepts and produces commercials for different brands. He says that the English major “taught me how to interpret, analyze, and engage with information.” Thomas says that the skills he gained with his English major help him in his creative business pursuits. The advice that Thomas has for current English majors is “keep an open mind, especially when it comes to selecting your required courses…you don’t have to go into publishing or teaching as a career! Your major prepares you for many disciplines: you just need to craft an argument for your prospective employer as to why.”
Simona Galant '18
Simona Galant (‘18) graduated from Lehigh University with a BA in English. She has worked in advertising and started her own creative production studio for a few years. Simona is currently pursuing her MFA degree in Film Producing at the AFI Conservatory. She says that the curriculum in the English Department at Lehigh “was instrumental in my understanding of not only language and literature, but the impact they have on the zeitgeist–a crucial skill to have as a writer and filmmaker”. Simona has only positive things to say about the staff within the English Department, “The faculty here will take the time to understand who you are–deeply–and help you do the same. They’ll take the effort you put in and meet it with 200%”. Simona shares with current English majors, “Since the department is so small, you will get 1:1 attention on a personal level that will help you find your footing as a writer and develop into a critical thinker. The smaller the class, the more time you get to invest in yourself”.
Maggie Tarmey '21
Maggie Tarmey (‘21) graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Management Consulting and a BA in English Literature. He is currently a Librarian for Geography, Maps and Economics at UCLA. Maggie says that writing “lesson plans for instruction sessions and workshops, digital guides on how to access and use research tools, grant proposals, and articles for scholarly publication” are a main part of his job. He says his English major has helped him with these writing skills: “the ability to communicate thoughts and ideas over text is not easy, and I'm much better at it now thanks to the extensive practice and support I got during my years in the English program.” The advice that Maggie has for current English majors is “Go to office hours and talk to your professors…in office hours, you also have the opportunity to talk about thoughts and ideas you have related to the course material that may not fit into your class discussions. It gives you the chance to share with your faculty where your interests lie, and they may even suggest ideas on how to incorporate your personal interests into your classroom work.”