Emily graduated from DePaul’s WRD program with a Bachelor’s in 2016 and a Master’s in 2018. She worked at the UCWBL from Autumn 2014 until she graduated in June 2018. She joined CMWR as an undergrad and later became the social media GA.
Emily enjoys a wide array of hobbies, from reading, writing, film, music, baking, cooking, and board games. She’s recently been reading Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius. Otherwise, she enjoys having the occasional porch beer while face-timing with friends.
Current Career and Education
Where are you now, and what do you enjoy about your current career?
“I’m working at a Brewery, Cruz Blanca. I like that I have the opportunity to play a lot of different roles here, and that my mind was opened up to different paths my career could take. When I originally started working at this brewery I was pretty set on building a vocabulary around beer and from there pursuing work in beer sales. I’ve been pretty interested in craft beer for some time, and felt like that passion alongside my communicative skills would be an ideal combination for that path. I’ve done tastings for Cruz and have definitely built a vocabulary around beer, but feel like there are always more options in an industry than you initially anticipate, especially when you have such a broad and applicable set of skills that WRD equips you with.”
How has COVID-19 affected your career?
“This is a heavy one. I’ve worked part time at Trader Joe’s for six years now, and I was actually on my way out the door when the shelter in place order was announced. Cruz has done some really admirable work in an attempt to support their employees—they paid everybody their average wage for the first two weeks of the restaurant closures, and have been providing weekly grocery boxes to all employees. However, no business can really operate with such a heavy outcome when so much less money is coming in. I was quite grateful Trader Joe’s worked with me to give me more hours while Cruz operates with minimal staff, only doing take-out and delivery orders. It’s definitely a strange and unfamiliar time.”
I’ve been sad being away from Cruz. Working there and feeling like I was finally in a place where I could pursue something I’m passionate about, and makes use of education in new ways. Trader Joe’s is a pretty intense work environment right now. They’ve taken many measures to make us feel safe—we cap the amount of people allowed in the store at once, we all wear masks, we have an hourly cleaning schedule, and there are markings on the floor starting from the register every six feet so people have space in line. It’s been psychologically overwhelmingly seeing this familiar cozy place turn into something else, but I am grateful for the work right now and to be able to interact with positive lovely people.”
Do you plan to pursue graduate school further? Are you considering any PhD programs?
“You know, I used to be sure I wanted to pursue a PhD in sociolinguistics. A lot has changed for me in the past two years since graduating. I’ve learned to appreciate my time at DePaul and who I have become from what I have learned without necessarily tying that to a profitable professional experience. I would never have been such an open minded, sensitive, and ethically oriented person without my education. I am grateful for everything I have learned. I love being able to think about language in complex ways. I also feel quite equipped to see the world around me in meaningful and interesting ways—nothing is quite as it seems, I’m not sure I would be so acutely aware of the rich metaphorical and argumentative social landscape around me had I not had the educational experience that I do. I feel quite self aware of my identity, social self, and influence in ways I’d like to think make me a richer, active agent in society.”
UCWbL Retrospective
How has your writing process changed since you left the UCWbL?
“Believe it or not, my writing process has barely changed since leaving The UCWbL. I’ve found a groove that works for me, and I feel pretty confident in how I take on a writing task. What has changed is the type of writing I do. I’m obviously not writing as many acutely focused, thesis-driven papers. I spend about thirty minutes every morning free-writing, journaling, whatever you want to call it. I like starting my day opening up that space to feel connected to language and open expression. I do other writing here and there, but writing as a means of understanding myself, the world, and working through feelings and problems in life is probably the most salient lesson I took from looking so closely at writing through my time at The UCWbL and studying WRD.”
What is your best memory at the UCWbL?
“This is a bit abstract and personal, but very true. I don’t feel like I had a very typical college experience. When I first came to Chicago as a freshman, I was pretty overwhelmed and lonely. I was enjoying learning and my classes, but had a difficult time finding a home socially here. It wasn’t really until I started working at The UCWbL in fall of my junior year that I really felt connected to this place—both DePaul and Chicago. Maybe it was because I was around a lot of sweet, well-intentioned, nurturing people, maybe it was because I was finally finding more confidence and felt more open to connecting, probably a combination of things. My orientation experience and first few weeks marked a major turning point in my experience in this city though. I will always be grateful to The UCWbL for that experience.”
What skills developed at the UCWbL help you at your job?
“So many! The list is endless! I will say the most salient skill I have learned is negotiating needs and wants in conversations. When you know a lot about something, take writing or beer for example, approaching conversation about said topics with people who know perhaps less or different aspects of them is more complex than it initially seems. When I’m gauging what someone needs and wants, the most important thing is getting them to explain what they know first. This is something we see embodied in The UCWbL’s core practice “collaboratively setting an agenda.”
“If I’m selling a beer to someone, I first ask them what kinds of things they like. Sometimes they come back with pretty vague answers: “I love IPAs,” or “I’m a Miller Light guy.” Sometimes they’re specific and aware: “I love beers with a good malt backbone,” or “I’m interested in wild fermentation and yeasty flavors.” From there, I can give the Miller Light guy our lightest lager on draft, Mexico Calling, and the conversation will probably end there. Some beer drinkers want simple and accessible, and that’s a beautiful thing in itself. I’ll poor a few samples of our wild ales, Paw Paw Expedition and Lagniappe, for the person interested in wild fermentation, and we’ll probably spend a good deal of time talking about what went into these beers and sharing stories about similar styles we’ve both experienced. We’ll both leave the conversation with knew knowledge, and likely some plans to go out and experience the beverages we talked about. Knowing something is one step, like how to write a killer thesis-oriented paper, like how a beer ends up with a balanced tang. To be able to explain this knowledge in an approachable and interesting way to the listener who cares is a truly valuable skill. Listen first.”
It seems like you’ve done a lot during your time at the UCWbL! Can you elaborate a little further on CMWR and Social Media?
“The first team I joined was CMWR. I was particularly interested in working with multilingual writers, as I knew I was going to focus on getting my TESOL certificate in the WRD graduate program and had felt myself being particularly engaged in WRD classes focused on language, specifically sociolinguistics. I also found conversations that problematized the spread of English to be very poignant in the academic scene, especially because that topic proved so complex. I liked the idea of being able to understand those problems and also do what I could to empower students who wanted to learn English with a particularly sensitive and informed background.”
“I also spent some time leading some writing groups. Edward Evins and I led the writing group for doctoral education students together. I also led a group on Blogging—Blog-o-rama!—focused on giving students who were interested in blogging a space to understand the genre and get some guidance on how they might contribute to a blog or The UCWbL’s blog, UCWbLing.”
“And, last but not least, I worked on the social media team for my last two years at The UCWbL. This was pretty outside of my previous professional experiences and interests, but I was really familiar with The UCWbL’s “vibe” if you will, and was pretty excited to take on a new challenge and broaden my knowledge. I also wanted to take an upcoming class on Content Strategy, and felt like these two experiences alongside each other would give me a lot of tools and room to play with knew knowledge. I was familiar with The UCWbL’s social media presence and had always appreciated from afar the cohesiveness of the look and feel—I was pumped to be able to work alongside Matthew Pearson and take on a new challenge! We ended up making great use of the class I took on Content Strategy. We developed a content strategy statement and redesigned UCWbLing together. It was an enlightening experience that opened my mind up to all the different mediums I could use embodying my educational experiences.”
What advice would you give to current UCWbLers, whether it be about writing, post-grad, or life in general?
“Be present for your moment. Pay attention and take opportunities. You might think you know exactly what you want and where you’re going, and there is beauty and comfort in this sentiment. However, sometimes life changes. Sometimes you change. That’s okay—take the waves as they come, pivot and find comfort and confidence in yourself when your environment feels unfamiliar and scary. Don’t let fear rule you. Listen and be open. Live every day full of love and openness. Write it out! I can’t advocate enough for taking time to write every day for yourself, without any specific practical outcome. I find the most peace in writing when it’s inwardly focused—take time to use the beautiful tool you know and love so much to help you make some discoveries and find some peace in yourself.”
Emily P. is one of our many wonderful UCWbL alumni and the OG blogger! If you know any other alumni interested in an interview, please do not hesitate to contact Robert R. on slack.