They say, "You can do anything with a degree from Hampden-Sydney." This is especially true for alumni who majored in English. From teaching and marketing to public policy and editing and beyond, alumni with English degrees have led diverse and successful professional journeys. Find out how their English major played a significant role in the path they took to their current position, and enjoy some of their favorite moments while in the English department at Hampden-Sydney.
Zachary Mace '23
English and theatre teacher at Randolph-Henry High School, Charlotte County, VA
There are many pathways to become a teacher. My path took me straight into the classroom without any teaching classes or preparation classes. I have been slowly taking those classes with my provisional license to become a fully-licensed teacher.
My degree in English helped me become detail-oriented and a better communicator. In my profession, communication is key. If you cannot communicate what you want to teach, the students will not receive the information. Having a degree in English helped me learn to communicate ideas clearly and concisely, which translates to public speaking and writing emails or worksheets. I have also learned to look for the small details. Literature provides many small details that have large meanings. Similarly in life, details make up a huge part of success. Looking for those details helps me be more thorough in project completion and making my theatre shows a success.
My favorite memory as an English major was when I took Dr. Hardy's Faulkner class. This was during the first Covid year and it was my first major challenge in the English department. Faulkner is a wonderful writer, but he is also very confusing at first. This class challenged me to think critically and read carefully.
Harrison Taylor '23
Digital Marketing and Master's Student at University of Southern California
I spent the last two years living in Nashville, TN working with a word-of-mouth marketing agency that specializes in startup, brand, and entertainment marketing. We worked with singers, songwriters, athletes, and entertainers to create compelling storytelling marketing campaigns for products and services like concerts, live events, merchandise, and even liquor and spirits. Now, I'm getting a digital MBA at USC, living in Los Angeles, and studying the future of storytelling and its digital mediums.
My English degree is a major part of my career. I once was told that every job requires sales skill - whether you're selling chocolate bars, million-dollar charter yachts, babysitting services or financial advising, you, at the end of the day, need to know how to persuade someone into a sale to be successful. The deeper I get into my career, the truer this sentiment becomes. Persuasion, at its core is an ability to story tell and convey value with language - I attribute all of my skill in this realm to my English degree at H-SC. On the hill, we learn to get to the deepest meaning of a story - the place where the value is - and this ability translates instrumentally to the success of any career.
I deeply believe that the power of the English language lies within its ability to create connections and bridge divides. To me, reading “Frankenstein,” “Macbeth,” or “Rape of the Lock” are simply placeholders that challenge students to think beyond a text. These moments of discussion, comparison, and interpersonal exchange were some of my most valuable moments at H-SC. For example, arguing with my 19th Century Lit class about who 21st century versions of Dickens characters would be – “Our Mutual Friend” may be my favorite novel I read in my English degree.
Ethan Betterton ‘20
Vice President of Public Policy and Research at Virginia Chamber of Commerce
As I was preparing to graduate in 2020, I decided to go to graduate school for public policy at the University of Virginia's Frank Batten School; I did not think I would have much luck finding a job at the time. As I was preparing to graduate again in 2022, a friend of my roommate at H-SC, who worked for the Chamber, told me they were considering hiring a new policy person and suggested I send my resume. Long story short, I got the job and have worked for the Chamber for almost three years now. I would not have my job today without the Hampden-Sydney alumni network.
My English degree has been instrumental to my success. I would not have my job without it; my boss made it very clear to me after I was first hired that he did his research on me and saw some of the things I wrote for a policy blog in graduate school. Being an English major at Hampden-Sydney taught me how to research and analyze the written word, two things I do every single day in my job. It also taught me how to be a more effective and impactful writer. Hampden-Sydney in general is excellent for teaching young men how to make an articulate argument, in writing and in speech, and being an English major taught me how to be even more effective. And finally, I do not think I would have the position I have if I was not curious and always seeking to learn more about anything. Being an English major broadened my horizons about what literature can be and I am especially thankful for that. I did not go to Hampden-Sydney to be an English major, and it was not on my radar until I took Dr. Varholy's Shakespeare class in my sophomore year. I added it then, and that was the best decision I made in the four years I was at Hampden-Sydney.
A favorite memory was seeing the “Richard II” production in Staunton and attending “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” in Richmond. I enjoyed every English class I took, which is remarkable, because English was my least favorite subject in grade school. The memories that really stick with me, however, are all the things we got to do in Dr. Davis' Authorship and the History of the Book. I am not a creative person by nature, and I never took an art class, but I greatly enjoyed making paper, marbling it, and of course the cuneiform tablets and other rare and fascinating books we explored in that class.
Austin Gregory ‘18
Literacy Instructional Coach
After I graduated from Hampden-Sydney with an English and French double major, I began my career in education as a French, Latin, & Public Speaking teacher at a local public school in Southside Virginia.
After three years of learning and growth, I taught at Hargrave Military Academy, an all-boys independent boarding school. There I taught both American & British Literature survey courses, as well as French Language courses. While in that position, I completed an M. Ed. at the University of Virginia, and I am now serving as an instructional coach in Danville, VA, where I support teachers in both content knowledge and pedagogy development in order to best serve our students.
My English degree has been integral to my work in each of the roles I have taken as an educator. I developed my own syllabi within my survey courses based largely on the vast range of texts I was introduced to at H-SC, and I strove to bring students to a deeper knowledge of texts through implementing facets of literary theory and criticism, as well as a thorough understanding of the historical context in which these texts were created.
I recall taking several Shakespeare courses with Dr. Varholy, who showed me why Shakespeare is so venerated (and funny!) I also look back with great fondness on my capstone course, where I (perhaps foolishly) took on T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” I don’t know what possessed me to focus on this poem, but I learned to love the experimental form and intertextuality; Dr. Hardy’s guidance led me to producing a prize-winning capstone, of which I am still proud. I still use too many semi-colons, though.
Drew Dickerson ‘17
English teacher at Amelia Middle School
I went to graduate school and earned a Master's degree in English Education, and I student taught at the Richmond Teacher Residency in Richmond, VA.
My degree in English influenced how I teach literature and facilitate discussions in the classroom. It's one thing to read something, but it's another to truly analyze literature, pick it apart, and come to interesting conclusions. My English degree and the Rhetoric Program improved my writing immensely. By having the professors I had at Hampden-Sydney, I grew as a writer, and am now passing on my knowledge to my students.
My favorite memory is writing my English capstone on "Native Son" my senior year. It was a passion project of mine. "Native Son" is my favorite book, and to write and present a long research paper on it was a joy.
Miles Sadler ‘17
Sales manager at Three Roads Brewing Company
I graduated college and stepped into management of the original Three Roads taproom. As the business grew, I moved into sales to help establish professional relationships with buyers and further advocate for the brand through community-oriented events.
My English degree honed my writing skills and my public speaking classes gave me the necessary skills to formulate my sales pitch, exude confidence in front of potential buyers, and help correct errors in beer labels.
During my time at H-SC, I was exposed to many great works of literature that I may otherwise have not come into contact with. I fondly remember the critical eye and comprehension granted through my coursework. I enjoyed the breadth of our classroom discussions, and they became a favorite style at Hampden-Sydney.
Spencer Dixon ‘17
Executive Director at Rowan Arts Council
My professional journey began in 2017 as a reporting intern at my local newspaper, The Salisbury Post. After five months of interning, a reporter set me up with an interview for the Grants Director position with Family Crisis Council of Rowan, a local domestic violence, sexual, and human trafficking response agency. For the next six and a half years, I facilitated all grant-related duties on behalf of the agency, including prospect research, grant-writing, contract-signing, and all post-award management. In 2024, I transitioned out of Family Crisis Council to become Executive Director of Rowan Arts Council. In this role, I facilitate all grant activities (both acquiring and distributing), foster collaboration within the local arts community, and provided resources to sustain, enhance, and expand local arts programming.
My degree in English played an essential role at each step of my professional development. In the beginning, my college writing samples from English and rhetoric assignments were essential in securing an internship at the local newspaper. At Family Crisis Council, the skills to write a strong grant application are very similar to writing a strong literary critique. My degree in English gave me an appreciation of not just literary art, but a wide range of art. Literature and art are intertwined from paintings inspired by novels to poems referencing art techniques. As a result, I was exposed to various and wide-ranging art, which opened my eyes not only to the power of art, but its essential role within a functioning society.
I have countless great memories from my time as an English major. There are classes that stand out as having a major impact (Dr. Hardy's Short Story class, Dr. Davis's Literature of the Road, my capstone course with Dr. Horne). However, my favorite memories are being together with my friends and classmates studying for final exams, staying up late editing each other's papers, and being a part of the English department community.
Andrew Madison '17
English teacher at Grassfield High School, Chesapeake, VA
I worked for AmeriCorps in Newark, NJ as a tutor in a local school during the year after I graduated from H-SC. During this time, I decided I would like to become a teacher, so I returned to Virginia to attend UVA Curry School of Education. I taught for three years at Blair Middle School in Norfolk, VA after graduating then transferred to Grassfield High School.
My degree in English has helped me teach a wide spectrum of students’ secondary education content, and hopefully, has helped me to instill in others a love of literature which I myself treasure.
I remember a favorite hilarious moment from my freshman year during the American Lit survey course I took with Dr. Bagby before he retired--I took his Nature Writing and American Lit surveys. I was still undecided at the time, and I was leaning towards majoring in a subject I was not all that passionate about. However, Dr. Bagby's classes convinced me that the English major was for me. During one of our classes, Dr. Bagby asked us what a "sepulchre" was. The word was one of many I think none of the guys in class, myself included, had bothered to look up over the course of our extensive reading segment assignment. The whole class sat there in awkward silence as Dr. Bagby looked around at us with a stern look on his face. Then, he sighed and said to us in his best sarcastic voice, "You know.... there's this magical device out there.... it's called a DICTIONARY." He looked around at us, scowling, and we all looked back at him sheepishly. I could not help but to smile. I enjoyed Dr. Bagby's personality, and I realized he was calling us out because he had a lot of pride and belief in the importance of careful, active reading. I learned from Dr. Bagby that being a good student of English means being careful and deliberate at all times. I started taking three English classes a semester because I loved how much I learned every single day. I even tried to take the same course twice because I enjoyed it so much.
Kyle Fraser ‘16
Criminal Defense Attorney
I was previously a high school English teacher at a boarding school, and also taught a summer course at a Juvenile Detention Center.
After leaving H-SC, I realized that the reading comprehension and writing skills that I learned helped me tackle the more tangible obstacles I needed to overcome to enter the legal profession (i.e., the LSAT, courses at Michigan Law, and the bar exam). More importantly, however, is that my English major made me passionate about learning. It was not until I started reading literature that was relatable and writing my own fiction that I realized how much I enjoyed the classroom. My love for English and rhetoric pushed me to teach, and ultimately inspired me to go to law school.
I worked on short stories in an independent seminar with Dr. Horne and Dr. Robbins my senior year, and it is still the most organic learning experience I have ever had. I remember shuttling my wonky short stories back and forth between their offices on a Friday afternoon, and I felt like I became a better writer with each passing draft. I still have a long way to go, but that course made me develop a respect for collaboration and the creative process. It was fun!
Teddy West ‘16
Land Representative at Davey Mitigation
I acquire land via permanent conservation easements or fee simple purchases to be used for environmental restoration purposes. During law school, one of my internship positions was with a mitigation company reviewing real estate contract documents. I was exposed to the land acquisition side of environmental restoration in that role and found it fit my desire to work in a dynamic role outside of an office setting. After law school, the company I interned for hired me full-time.
My English degree is on display every day in my communication with my landowners and colleagues. However, I attribute my professional success to a solid understanding of the principles of rhetoric. There is a sales component to my job and my background in persuasive communication techniques was crucial to having success early on in my career.
A favorite memory I have is Dr. Frye's Starbucks cup. Seriously, my Capstone course was a small group who all shared somewhat similar interests. Working with those guys throughout the course and eventually getting to see their final result was a very cool experience. I still talk to most of those guys today.
Haynes Shelton ‘15
Editor-in-Chief at North American Whitetail Magazine
Associate Producer at North American Whitetail Television
After graduating with a major in English and minor in Visual Arts, I hoped to pursue a career in photojournalism, preferably in the outdoor and hunting industry. I spent my senior year working on an Independent Study that focused on masculinity in America in the post-WWII 1950s within the pages of Field & Stream magazine. That research project challenged not just my writing abilities, but also my curiosity for journalistic research. It also proved to be a significant talking point and portfolio-builder when I interviewed at North American Whitetail magazine a few months after graduation. I began as an Associate Editor and climbed the ranks to Editor-in-Chief in 2021. My love of photography and visual arts has proven useful as well, not just in my magazine career but also in NAW's network television production efforts.
Truthfully, I utilize my English degree on a daily basis as the editor of a national publication with a 40-year history and reputation for storytelling excellence. My team is responsible for conceptualizing, assigning and editing hundreds of articles and thousands of pages of content on an annual basis. I'm blessed to work my "dream job" every day. For me, at least, the mantra is real: You can do anything with a degree from Hampden-Sydney College!
My favorite memories from the English department come in aggregate! They are a bundle of the times I spent working with professors one-on-one and during their office hours. My educators were masters of their craft, and each of them gave me great instruction, advice and support. Now, more than a decade since my enrollment at H-SC, I look back on my time there and realize how privileged I was to study at an institution that values smaller class sizes and individualized instruction — pillars that allowed me to get to know my professors as they got to know me!
Michael Copley ‘15
Correspondent at NPR
I cover corporations and climate change — essentially, what companies are and aren’t doing to respond to global warming, and how they’re being impacted by rising temperatures. Before joining NPR, I worked at local and regional newspapers before covering the energy industry for about a decade at a financial news service called S&P Global.
The English department taught me to read, write and think critically. That’s literally the foundation of everything I do. I never studied finance, economics or climate science in college, but I’ve been able to learn what I need to since then because of the skills I developed in the English department.
In college, I really enjoyed getting to spend months going down rabbit holes on the life of Harry Crosby, a degenerate writer and philosopher in Paris in the 1920s. Being assigned “Tender is the Night” was also profound. It’s a book I’ve re-read every couple of years since college. There’s music in the writing that’s inspiring.
Lewis Bell ‘13
Special Agent at Virginia ABC
It has been a windy path that has teetered between teaching English and law enforcement. The English major coursework gave me the tools to not only be able to take in a lot of data quickly, but to also parse it for meaning, ask probing questions, and communicate it effectively. In the law enforcement field, it has also given me the ability to come at an issue from a different perspective from my coworkers.
I'll always fondly remember our trip to the rare book school (I still have the framed linotype block on my bookshelf). The Derby Party at Dr. Hardy's house is a story that I've told many times. I still have the recipe cards that she gave me and I use them often. I have so many very fond memories of the English faculty that I couldn't even begin to recount them all.
The following alumni may be in new positions now, but here is a snapshot of where they were in their career paths several years ago.
Max Dash '18
Associate Producer at ESPN
Max acquired a fall 2018 internship with Turner Broadcasting System. Before graduating form Hampden-Sydney he was a Web Content Writer for the English department.
Walter F. McCoy III, '13
Pharmacy Technician and Event Coordinator
As a student at Hampden-Sydney College, I kept to myself involved academically and socially. On top of a full schedule of classes each semester, I also managed the Animation Society and Jongleurs student organizations, and was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Sigma Tau Delta, and Alpha Psi Omega. My primary academic focus at H-SC was on "presentational" literary forms, such as film and drama, and on the representation of gender in literature and media. I used my English, creative writing, and theatre studies to pursue a career in education, but after two years of teaching, I decided to switch paths. I now dabble between my job as a nationally certified Pharmacy Technician and in my position as a Teen Event Coordinator with the Roanoke County Library System.
Jarrod Ficklin '11
Feature Producer
Being a Feature Producer, much like an English major, requires a lot of versatility. An English major at H-SC needs to possess enough initiative to read, research, analyze, and communicate his thoughts on any given subject. As a Feature Producer, I am basically a writer/director/producer, all-in-one. I get to travel often, research stories, hire film crews, direct the photographers on site, and then creatively write and produce featured elements for coverage of the biggest golf tournaments in the world. Before taking the job at Golf Channel, I used the same resourceful skills I gained as an English major as an Associate Producer for ESPN in Bristol, CT, winning 3 Sports Emmys as a part of College Gameday.
Watch Writer/Producer Jarrod Ficklin's latest video Fate & Friendship: Jon Dechambeau & Ron Bankofier, a story of fate and friendship about how winning a golf tournament helped save Bryson Dechambeau's father's life.
Robert Bodendorf '10
Professional Development Coordinator
I joined the Baker Donelson law firm's professional development department after earning my Masters of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama.
Drew Prehmus '08
Financial Advisor at Prehmus Financial Partners
"Hampden-Sydney taught me to dream big, ask for impossible things, and be comfortable hearing no." As a Financial Advisor, Drew helps people with investment and tax strategies and leads the firm's strategic planning and branding efforts. He earned his MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Prior to business school, he worked as the special assistant to President Christopher B. Howard at Hampden-Sydney. While at H-SC, he wrote a book and served as student body president.
Matthew Brady '05
Vice President for Development and Communications
I am the head of communications for Children's Hospital Foundation, which is the fundraising entity for Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The majority of the Foundation's fundraising efforts are inspired by patient family stories, and my English degree from Hampden-Sydney has been put to great use in developing, writing, and editing those stories.
I sort of stumbled into a marketing and PR position at a hospital in Florida between my junior and senior years at H-SC. I found that I enjoyed that field, so I continued to look for similar jobs both because I enjoyed it and because it was an area in which I had experience. I was first hired by my current employer as a Website Content Coordinator and worked my way up over the years to attain my current position in 2015.
I feel like I can speak most to students who might not have a clear career path in mind. (My decision to major in both English and Biology was an early sign I had no idea what I would do!) I always loved creative writing and design, and I was fortunate to find a niche that lets me continue to do those things. I think H-SC gave me some great foundational skills, particularly in communication, that prepared me for any number of jobs.
Nathan Goodwyn '01
English teacher at Collegiate School
I teach students how to read carefully and write well in the classroom. I also teach them how to think, how to prepare, and how to compete as athletes. I have found that being a middle school English teacher and coach requires one to be an independent thinker and close observer-- traits that the H-SC English department embodied as individuals and imparted upon me as a student.