Unlocking a World of Career Possibilities
Department of English alumni thrive in today’s workforce, empowered by the adaptability gained through studies of literature, creative writing and screen-based media.
What can you do with an English degree? The possibilities are endless! These graduates are making their mark in diverse fields—from education and law to creative writing and the arts.
- Brinda Charry Ph.D. (English literature) has won the 2025 Society of American Historians Prize for Historical Fiction (formerly the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Historical Fiction) for her novel, The East Indian. The book, based on her dissertation research, is set in 1630s colonial Virginia and tells the story of one of the first people of South Asian descent to come to North America.
- Matt Wiley, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English, was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Mind Medicine, a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company developing novel product candidates to treat brain health disorders.
- Shreerekha Pillai ’99 M.F.A. (creative writing) was named Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Prior to being named Dean at UNCP, she held numerous leadership roles at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), including associate dean of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities and chair of the liberal arts department.
- Gretchen Wood, who received a bachelor’s degree in English, is the recipient of the 2025 CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award. Wood is currently the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Monroe Community College (MCC) in Rochester, NY, and is Executive Director of the MCC Foundation. She helped lead the MCC Foundation’s most ambitious fundraising campaign, raising $52.5 million. Under her leadership, the foundation awarded a record-breaking $1.65 million in scholarships to support students during the 2023–24 academic year.
- Julia Alvarez’s ’75 M.F.A. (creative writing) most recent novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, was published in paperback in Spring 2025. The book follows the story of a writer named Alma Cruz who transforms a plot of land in the Dominican Republic into a literal graveyard for her abandoned drafts. The buried stories come alive and begin rewriting themselves, and Alma must confront the question of whether any story is ever truly finished.
- Naomi Falk, who received a bachelor’s degrees in English and textual studies and writing and rhetoric, published her first book, The Surrender of Man, in Spring 2025. The novel blends memoir, philosophy and art criticism to explore how powerful artworks have shaped her understanding of self, womanhood and the human condition.
- Charlotte Lillie Balogh, who minored in English and textual studies, published her debut novel, Kill the Lax Bro, in Spring 2025. The young adult murder mystery follows the unraveling of secrets at a high school after a star lacrosse player is found dead.
- Ira Thorpe Huff, who received a bachelor’s degree in English, participated in a poet-artist collaboration in Spree magazine where his written words inspired visual works by Hayden Haynes.
- Tress Williams, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English, was named executive director at Prendergast Library in Jamestown, New York.
- Richard Stein, who earned an M.A. in English, was appointed to the California Arts Council by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Previous positions held by Stein include President and Chief Executive Officer of Arts Orange County and Executive Director of the Laguna Playhouse. With the California Arts Council, Stein will work to strengthen arts, culture and creative expression throughout California.
Published: July 15, 2025
Media Contact: asnews@syr.edu
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Department of English
Learn about the wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in the Department of English.