It’s a question that all of us book nerds have asked at some point in our lives.  Contrary to popular belief, the answer is A LOT.  On Wednesday, April 29th, 6:30-8:30 in Alumni Center (EHHP), Sigma Tau Delta and the Graduate English Association present a panel of people who majored in English and used their skills to pursue diverse careers.  Here is a list of our panelists:

Michael Duvall is a professor at CofC who specializes in American literature and culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is the director of the Master of Arts in English program at the college. He received his PhD in American Literature from the University of Maryland. Dr. Duvall will be discussing the M.A program as well as the process of earning a PhD (at CofC and in general).

Allyson Field was an English Major in college and is now a first year teacher at Fort Dorchester High School. She will be representing English Majors in Secondary Education.

Kasey Hayes is an alumni of College of Charleston and is a partner and co-founder of Native Collaboration. Her company, Native Collab, is a marketing positioning firm that helps organizations reach audiences through marketing, PR, and digital strategy. She is coming all the way from Richmond, VA to tell us why business corporations hire English majors.

Bret Lott is a professor at CofC and an author of fourteen books. He serves as Nonfiction Editor for Crazyhorse as well. He is director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at CofC. At the panel, he will be discussing the MFA program as well as journal editing.

Courtney Proffitt works for Benefitfocus, which is a company that provides employers, brokers, insurance carriers, and consumers with technology to shop, enroll, manage, and exchange benefits information. She, similar to Hayes, will be discussing English Majors in business.

Dustin Waters is a reporter and journalist at the Charleston City Paper. He covers everything from issues occurring on the peninsula to more controversial, global issues; such as his recent cover story on gun control. He will be discussing the fields of journalism and reporting.