Kelly Boyd
Alum

Kelly Boyd

Confidence & Expertise

Alum, NDMU Class of 2017
English Literature
My experience in the English Literature MA program at NDMU was truly life-changing. I met friends who I know I'll keep for a lifetime, learned from professors who are experts in their field, and changed the way I think about English. I'm a high school English teacher of 16 years, and earning an advanced degree in my content, rather than Education generally, has helped me enter this phase in my teaching career with confidence and expertise. Outside of work, earning a MA in English has helped me renew my passion for literature. I'm so proud of the work I've done in the English Program at NDMU.
Paul Huey-Burns
Alum
Paul Huey-Burns

Preparing for a New Career

Alum, NDMU Class of 2018
English Literature
I teach American Literature and AP Language & Composition at a private secondary school in Potomac, MD. Prior to my becoming a teacher, I practiced corporate and securities law as a partner in the DC office of one of the world’s leading law firms. When I decided to become a teacher, I wanted to continue to practice law while establishing my credentials for “Career 2.0.” I investigated many M.A. literature programs, but none offered the combination of quality and flexibility that NDMU offered. More importantly, once I began the program, I found myself connected to classmates who loved literature and professors who loved to teach literature. My classmates and professors became more than colleagues, they became friends. To this day, we gather (virtually) to talk about books. I received my undergraduate and law degrees at schools that are considered among the nation’s best. Yet, my most rewarding educational experience—the one that will stay with me for the rest of my life—was at NDMU.
Katherine Ridgway
Alum
Katherine Ridgway

Breadth & Depth of Understanding

Alum, NDMU Class of 2017
English Literature
At the time I entered MA in English Literature program, I was a public school English teacher looking to get a Masters in my field for professional development. This program gave me a breadth and depth of understanding of literary criticism and the cannon of English literature that I did not receive quite so fully in my teaching program. It helped me to contextualize readings for students in a way that better prepared them for their college experiences. Currently, I work in Higher Education, and in many ways my current role is an extension of the college preparatory work I was engaged in with my students in the past. I can speak to them from a place of knowledge about their collegiate and post-graduate options in the Humanities thanks to this program.
Cara Corsaro Meekins
Alum
Cara Corsaro Meekins

A Better Informed English Teacher

Alum, NDMU Class of 2019
Teaching (MAT), English Literature
Beyond the opportunity to simply read and discuss great works of literature, my studies in the English Literature program at NDMU have encouraged me to read diverse literature and perspectives with my own students. It also strengthened my understanding of literary periods and critical analysis practices to become a better informed teacher. I often find myself pulling from class notes, text selections, and project ideas from my course work to integrate into the lessons I create and teach.