Life after IWU

Amanda ReCupido '07

Amanda ReCupido is an author, humorist and storyteller. Her debut book, Anthony Rizzo is a Good Italian Boy. is now available at MascotBooks.com. She has worked in public relations for the past 11 years for companies such as New York's 92nd Street Y, Chicago's Goodman Theatre and Time Out Chicago magazine. At her current employer, Public Communications, Inc, she has supported clients locally and globally such as Shedd Aquarium, UNO Charter School Network, Reconciling Ministries Network and Fresenius Medical Care. She has written for websites such as Funny or Die, Huffington Post, Mediabistro and The Belladonna Comedy, among others. She has performed stand-up comedy and at storytelling events throughout Chicago (including Second City) and the suburbs.

Korey Williams '12 

Korey Wiiliams '12 studied literature and writing at Illinois Wesleyan University, the University of Oxford, and Cornell University. He was a finalist in the 2017 National Poetry Series and his work appears in  Assaracus ,  Fogged Clarity ,  wildness ,  The Offing ,  Narrative Magazine , and elsewhere. Williams is currently a doctoral student in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago.

Jason Han '03 

Jason Han ‘03 is the first Asian American elected to Northbrook, IL Village Board in 2017. He is an attorney who has earned a grant from the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Justice Entrepreneur Project. Jason is board member of the Chicago chapter of the Korean American Bar Association, a 2016 fellow of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section, and has received commendations from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services for his pro bono work. 

Jac Jemc '05

Jac Jemc '05 had her second novel accepted by FSG Originals — that's Farrar, Straus, Giroux! The big time! 

Chris Seps '07

Chris Seps  is an associate attorney at the law firm of Ulmer & Berne LLP in Chicago.  He is also the author of a new book.
How To Be A Good Baby: Tips From the Dog

For more information about “How To Be A Good Baby: Tips From The Dog,” along with additional tips, please visit   www.howtobeagoodbaby.com  or email tipsfromthedog@gmail.com

Amanda Williams '12

Amanda Williams is currently a first-year MFA Creative Writing student at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. She is the recipient of a Jackson Fellowship, and has been selected to be a Teaching Fellow for the 2015-2016 academic year, instructing undergraduate students in creative writing. She recently had two poems selected for publication in the Red Truck Review (forthcoming in August 2015) and two poems selected for publication in Artemis, a Journal for Artists and Writers from the Blue Ridge Region and Beyond. Amanda received BA degrees in English Literature and Theatre Arts from IWU, class of 2012, and spent a year abroad studying Early Modern Drama and Literature at the University of Oxford. Amanda is also the author of two plays, Strip of the Tongue: A Study of Contemporary American Burlesque and Hysterical Affections, both of which explore issues of female sexuality, womanhood, the power of the female spirit. In addition to writing pursuits, Amanda also enjoys designing and constructing costumes for her period costuming company, The Bodice Babe. This summer, she will travel to Bavaria to conduct research for her MFA thesis with the assistance of a Research Travel Grant from the Jackson Center for Creative Writing.

Kristin Fields '12

Kristin Fields '12 is a digital associate for Weber Shandwick in Chicago. With offices in 81 countries, Weber Shandwick is an award-winning, global public relations firm. Fields began working at the firm as a consumer marketing intern in 2012, and later became assistant digital associate. Fields specializes in digital communications, including content creation and management, real-time marketing, influence management and social media strategy.

Travis Williams '10

The Canadian-based Modernist Versions Project (MVP) declared Travis Williams '10 the winner of its "Ulysses International Art Competition" for his drawing Ulysses: The Human Bodyssey. The work was originally produced for a James Joyce course taught by IWU English Professor Kathleen O'Gorman, with additional work done for his senior seminar course taught by English Professor Daniel Terkla. 

Jessica Olsen '08

Jessica Olsen '08 is back in her hometown of Rockford after spending a year teaching English to first through fourth graders in Hamburg, Germany. She teaches freshman, junior, and senior English, is the assistant coach for the varsity girls' basketball team, and also helps out the track team at Boylan Catholic High School. In addition, she is the student advisor for the Community Restoration Project. Jessica also works weekends at Saturday Kids Club, a weekly program for children from low-income families in the Rockford area. In addition to English, Jessica studied secondary education and German at IWU.

Rachel Slough '07

Rachel Slough '07 double majored in English and Hispanic Studies at IWU. At her professors' encouragement, she applied for and received a Fulbright grant to teach in Chile for 10 months on a grant through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program in 2008. In 2010, she received a master's degree in library science at Indiana University, Bloomington. She received a masters of science in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2015 and is working in La Crosse, Wisconsin providing therapy to adolescents, couples, and families.

Chip Corwin '05

Chip Corwin '05 is an attorney at Wylder Corwin Kelly LLP in Bloomington. The firm represents clients throughout Illinois who have been injured by exposure to asbestos and other toxic substances, medical negligence, or other acts causing serious bodily injury or death. Graduating with honors from the University of Wisconsin Law School, he worked as a prosecuting intern and a student advocate prior to becoming an attorney. He also received a master's degree in English from the University of Chicago.

Joshua Butts '01

Joshua Butts '01 is director of Development, Principal and Major Gifts at Harvard Medical School. An English and history double major at Illinois Wesleyan, Josh says the strong writing skills that IWU cultivated in him are an asset to all of the jobs he has held so far. 

Originally from Mt. Zion, Illinois, Josh appreciates that IWU "gave the opportunity for a small-town kid to really grow and expand his horizons."

Kyle O'Daniel '15

Teaches English at Mahomet-Seymour High School, where IWU English faculty's commitment to their craft is a prevailing influence in his own classroom. He recalls, "my most important takeaway from the IWU English Department is passion for literature and writing. The professors at IWU make their own passion and enthusiasm apparent -- whether it be for the content they're covering or for a student's work -- and that's what I try to emulate in my own classroom every day."

Jessica Dimitrijevich '08

Is a learning specialist at McGraw-Hill Education. When asked to reflect on the value of her English degree in her current position in sales and publication, she says, "if you'd told me when I was a Writing major at IWU that I would eventually go into a sales career, I would've laughed incredulously - I am NOT a 'sales' kind of person! But looking back at my experiences at IWU, it definitely prepared me for my current role - leadership in Sigma Tau Delta, attention to detail with The Argus, public speaking skills in Slam Poetry with Dr. Theune, and the overall ability to explore and expand my interests all have helped lead me to where I am today."

Chris Fusco '94

Is an award-winning reporter and current Editor-In-Chief of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chris appreciates the lessons he learned at IWU regarding journalism and the importance of self-criticism in cultivating growth in one's professional life, noting that "when you're a young journalist and you make a mistake, you have to feel it. You have to absorb that blow. You have to feel terrible about it, and it needs to sink in to the point that you're never going to make that mistake again."