Alumni of the Month
November 2018
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What is one thing you loved about Southern? What is some advice you have for incoming students considering majoring in English?
Upon first visiting campus as a prospective student, I was most struck by the sense of genuine community here at Southern. Once I arrived and immersed myself in activities like the Student Government Association, service organizations, andSouthern News, I realized that the opportunities here are endless; Southern is a place where your education becomes what you want it to be. The faculty and staff members here have a commitment to public higher education and a passion that translates to the students they work with. At Southern, I developed my own understanding of the importance and excellence found at public institutions for higher education, and I became an advocate for the access and opportunity that schools like Southern can provide.
Consequently, I would advise incoming students to find their niche here and be involved. Whether by working in an office, joining a club, or participating in an intramural sport, students will discover the community-within-a-community that they can most relate to and learn from.
What was your journey like as an English major? How did you know you wanted to major in English, and what classes did you use/learn from/appreciate the most?
I entered Southern as a BS English candidate pursuing a secondary education degree; I have always enjoyed reading and writing, and I enjoy teaching others. Through developments in my personal life and exposure to the field of higher education, however, I decided to switch to the BA and immediately enter my Master of Arts program after graduation. Although I wasn’t entirely certain at the time where my path would lead, I knew I wanted to remain engaged in the field of education.
I most appreciated my experience in ENG 312, English Grammar Systems, because I am fascinated by the English language; I ultimately wrote my undergraduate thesis on how to teach grammar to secondary-level students by using contextualized reading and writing assignments (rather than drilling grammatical principles into their heads in isolation). I also enjoyed my internship in ENG 498 (an experience I opted to participate in) because I was able to spend an entire semester in a local high school evaluating the merits and challenges of a tutoring-style program the administration had developed to help at-risk students. As a graduate student, my favorite class was probably the summer session ENG 587 course I took with Dr. Shea; we participated in an intensive analysis of the Shakespeare drama, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and concluded the class by actually viewing a production of the play at the Yale Repertory Theatre.
Sarah Greco, who did both her BA and MA in English at Southern, has published a book based upon the master’s thesis she did under Dr. Petrie’s direction last year: The Number 43: The Life and Legacy of Wild Bill Greco.
September 2018
Deanna Bellis, 7th and 8th Grade English Language Arts Teacher at Pulaski Middle School in New Britain, CT, and Co-owner of Bellis Bourbon
What was your journey like as an English major? How did you know you wanted to major in English, and what classes did you use/learn from/appreciate the most?
Years before deciding to enroll at Southern or embark on a journey as an English major, I was an overly self-conscious teenager unwaveringly devout in her beliefs. In eighth grade, my paradoxical self sat pondering The Giver inside my English classroom. My peers and I had looped with our former seventh grade teacher (Mrs. Netting), so in eighth grade we were all together again after what had felt like just an extended vacation.
In our foreign classroom, amidst a discussion of the rather difficult dystopian young adult novel, we were all surrounded by welcoming and familiar faces. On that afternoon, I decided that I would undoubtedly become an English teacher, just like Mrs. Netting. Like her, with her gentle patience and high expectations, I wanted to foster a class full of my own students who would be confident enough to take risks and grow.
At Southern, when it came time to pursue my middle school aspiration, I found my English courses to be as difficult as they were rewarding, especially in the more intensive, higher-level courses. My professors, however, were very approachable and always eager to help. Upon completion of each arduous course, I felt as though I had transformed into a stronger reader, writer, and communicator.
Not only have my strengthened skills helped me as a middle school but also as the co-owner of Bellis Bourbon. My husband, his high school friend, and I created an alliteratively appealing bourbon, Bellis Bourbon. As of June, our product is in nearly two hundred stores and restaurants throughout Connecticut, and we have just signed on with one of the largest distributors. ,