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Alumni Spotlight

Mara Lynn Johnstone
Mara Lynn Johnstone

I’ve known I wanted to be a writer ever since I learned to write, so coming to SSU for an English degree was an easy decision. Staying for a Master’s Degree was easy too. I had a great time! I learned good things, met cool people, and spent some fine years working at the Writing Center.

Steven Brown
Steven Brown

Coming into the master’s program at Sonoma State, I had already experienced a teaching career that came to a close after twenty years.  While thoroughly examining literature and the craft of writing under the guidance of the English department’s brilliant staff, I was inspired by the academi

Maya
Maya Figueroa

My name is Maya Figueroa. As a first-generation student, college is daunting. Yet, these past four years have been absolutely amazing and I’m so excited for the next step!

Elizabeth Wood
Elizabeth Wood

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Wood and I graduated from Sonoma State in Spring of 2021 with a  Bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in teaching. The English department immersed me in many diverse, rich, and incredible novels, texts and lectures that I will cherish forever.

Helen Ganiy
Helen Ganiy MA

Graduate school sounds scary at first. You’re not sure what to expect, or what’s expected of you. When I entered the MA program in 2018, I felt a mixture of apprehension and fear, but those feelings soon dissipated when I met and began working with SSU’s stellar English faculty.

Christine Pinella MA

Pursuing my Master’s in English at SSU was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my education and career.

Max Luque

From the time I started my undergraduate degree at SSU up until I graduated in May 2018, I loved being part of the English program. I got to meet great people, read books, produce a lot of writing, and receive valuable encouragement from professors.

Hannah Bowick
Hannah Bowick (BA, MA)

Current title: AP Language Instructor and Advisor at University of Texas, Arlington and The Episcopal School of Dallas

Brooke Wrisley
Brooke Wrisley

Life since graduation has been strange - as it was in the months leading up to graduation as well, really. But I am no stranger to strangeness, having finished my degree amongst multiple wildfire disasters and now a global pandemic.