Master of Arts in English, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2015

Megan Kolendo finished her MA in English in the Summer of 2015. Her thesis “Mapping the Meta-Modern in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road” looked at post Post-Modernism in the novel. Currently, she is employed as a legal assistant in the Dean’s Office at UAA. Her job includes technical writing, publication, and writing reports that come out of the Dean’s office. She also deals with the students who come into the Dean’s office for disciplinary issues such as academic dishonesty and alcohol related violations.

Megan says her Masters in English helped her become an exceptional communicator, both verbally and on paper. She also says that her MA helped her stand out in the workplace. The ability to take ideas from texts and transfer it to other contexts is something that sets English majors apart from other disciplines. Some of her biggest take-aways from the program include the passion she attained for literature, expertise in writing and the realization that having a Masters in English is something that people look up to. She acknowledges Dr. Kline’s “Contemporary Critical Thinking” and Dr. Stone’s “Preparation for Thesis” as two courses that were the most essential to her MA education.

Megan states that students of the English MA program are “really blessed” because although it is a big department, the students are treated like family. She admires Jackie Cason for being influential as well as informational. Dr. Cason helped her see which doors were opening and helped guide her towards different paths she would not have expected to take. One piece of advice Megan would give to someone considering the MA program is: “The reality is, the last semester you’ll want to quit, it is very difficult. But struggle-along. Be open-minded, explore literature, composition and rhetoric. Explore all of your options.”