Madison Pierce is one of this year's winners of UNH's 'Create Your Own Story' Award and a 2018 Commencement Class Marshall.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

What is your UNH English major and graduation year?

I am an English Teaching major graduating in May 2018.

How has your UNH English major prepared you for your current and future work?

The major has allowed me to both have real-world experiences in the classroom through internships and also pursue relevant, meaningful coursework for my teaching career. In particular, my class with Alecia Magnifico, English 726, has helped me to think about my approach as a teacher, my pedagogical goals, and has permitted me to apply those directly to my mini-internship at Dover Middle School. It is wonderful to bring insights and questions about my internship back to class and dissect them with a group.  It has also been extremely beneficial for me in terms of thinking about how I envision my future classroom and my pedagogical goals as a teacher.

Aside from preparing you for work, how has your UNH English major enriched your life?

A lot of the connections I’ve made with students and professors through this major, through our close-knit community, have enriched my personal relationship with the school and my ability to thrive within it. These relationships have also aided me in seeing that the “it takes a village” mentality is crucial to have as a prospective educator. Having a small yet strong community of prospective teachers to collaborate with has been one of the best parts of my experiences at UNH.

What is your most valuable UNH English memory?

I have many great memories as a part of the English department, but I think my best memory is yet to come! I’m really looking forward to the Honors English Undergraduate Research Conference. I am writing a thesis that analyzes four comedic plays from the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras through the lens of companionate marriage, and I have been fortunate enough to work with Professor Dennis Britton throughout the semester on this project. As we’re all getting ready to graduate, the URC is a kind of testament to the work we’ve done and the community we have created. I am looking forward to celebrating that day with my peers and those who have supported us in the community. I have been a part of the URC twice before at UNH, and I find it to be an extremely rewarding experience and a valuable opportunity to see how others in the community have pursued research of interest to them.

What advice do you have for incoming or current UNH students?

Not enough students take advantage of office hours! I have learned the most from going through the drafting process with my professors on nearly every paper I have written at UNH.  I very rarely just turn in a final product, and I often work through outlines and drafts. Going throgugh this process not only helps to build relationships with professors, but to also learn from their analytical insights and pedagogical approaches.  It’s dually valuable as a prospective teacher to go through that process to experience different ways of approaching feedback and aiding students in developing their writing skills. I’ve gained a lot of help and grown as a writer and person from taking the time to go to office hours and get to know professors beyond class. So visit your professors, ask lots of questions, and get the most out of your time here at UNH!

 

Write your own story:  Join the UNH English major!

Contact the UNH English Department for information about any of the majors or minors that we offer: (603) 862-1313