Interview is edited for length and clarity.
What impact did attending a women-centered institution have on your education?
My time in college taught me how to be confident and very clear with my intentions and goals. Everyone’s voices were heard. Everyone was encouraged to share their opinions. That supportive environment has bled into my professional career. I feel like I can shoot for the moon and see what happens, and if it doesn't work out, then that is OK.
Attending Simmons encouraged me not to be scared in my work or life environment. I take a lot more risks at my job and volunteer for different projects because I am confident.
I didn't learn that kind of preconceived notion to be meek. I try to walk into situations with the utmost confidence, even though I may be surrounded by men. That doesn't mean that they’re more right than I am.
I’m a third-generation legacy Simmons student, and I grew up with very strong women in my life. Since Simmons was an environment where women were encouraged to speak their minds and truly believe in themselves, I was allowed to flourish and grow my leadership skills.
Did you have a favorite course at Simmons? Why?
I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Sheldon George's Toni Morrison seminar. It was a class that completely focused on Toni Morrison and her writing, which truly changed my life. She was an editor who became a writer later in her career, and it was so inspiring. I also loved studying with a Toni Morrison scholar and gaining a deeper understanding of her work.
Another course I loved was Professor Richard Wollman’s Shakespeare seminar. I strongly believe it’s an important foundational class, similar to Greek mythology or a seminar studying the Bible. I found it important to understand not only the Western literature but Eastern.
Understanding that kind of foundational literature has made me a better editor, and it's made me a better reader, too. I am more creative because I have different references swimming around my head, and I can pull from different ideas.
What is your current role? What are your responsibilities there?
I am an Associate Editor at Insurify. While the company’s main goal is to sell insurance, they also have a huge content team. We publish material that focuses on helping the consumer get better insurance and understanding what insurance works best for their situation.
At times, insurance can feel like an intentionally difficult topic to understand, and that’s why our content is focused on helping the average person navigate through all of this information. On a given day, I’m editing insurance articles and making briefs for freelance writers. I’m giving feedback and working alongside other editors to move content.
What advice would you give someone who is entering their professional career with a background in English?
I want to recognize that it's really hard right now for all fields, but in the humanities, it's particularly hard to find positions. My advice is to be tenacious and cast a wide net when you're applying for roles. Write as many cover letters as possible and reach out to your network.
When you get an interview, you have to sell yourself like crazy. You have to make sure that they know you’re going to be the absolute best candidate they’ll talk to. It’s just as important to sell yourself and your abilities, and you need to be open to feedback.
I had some experience, but editing professionally is very different. I had to step back, let my boss guide me, listen to feedback, and not take it personally.
I don't think editing will ever going to go away, especially with the AI push coming. Everyone is really initiating a move toward AI writing and AI editing. You need to prove to possible employers that editing absolutely cannot be done by AI, because it truly can’t, and that you’re the right person with the right skills that they need.