I graduated with my BA in English with a Literature Concentration thinking that I would go to graduate school, but the testing was extremely intimidating. After not scoring as well as I’d hoped on the GRE, I felt so lost in what I wanted to do. The biggest question I kept asking myself was: “what else can I do with this degree?” It took me working a few years in a dead-end job as a document controller to figure out my true calling.
After being laid off due to the 2020 pandemic, I went back to school, but this time for full-stack web development. After completing a three month full-time course, I become a teaching assistant. It wasn’t as glamorous as I initially wanted it to be, and the pay wasn’t great either. I was working a lot of hours with no real way to go further with the company. It was horribly competitive, and you were never guaranteed a cohort to work with unless you continuously knocked on management’s door. Later on, I got scooped up by an amazing nonprofit called Persevere. There, I became an instructor teaching full-stack web development, but the interesting thing was that I was teaching prison inmates and not regular civilians.
At first I didn’t think I would be at Persevere that long since I would be working with students who were in prison. I didn’t start teaching immediately, and was asked to revise the student textbooks that we hand out to everyone for each module. I put two months of blood, sweat, and tears into it. It was fun looking up information, filling in learning gaps, and even updating older content for the future students. I was beginning to get into the swing of things at that point.
My first ever class began in October of 2022. I was very hesitant and so nervous that I initially hid behind the senior colleague who was teaching with me. It wasn’t until one of the students told me that she was so happy I was also her instructor that I began to feel confident in my teaching. She was surprised a black woman was teaching the class, and looked to me as a positive role model for what she could do with her life after incarceration.
I realized that my English degree helped me to develop the social skills needed to interact with students who are facing such a difficult challenge. While studying English, my critical thinking skills were put to the test time and time again because I would be reading about social situations and reactions by characters that put things into perspective for me. As a result, I am able to read social cues and help my students when they need it. I can attribute a lot of how I handle these situations to my English major. One of the biggest compliments I’ve ever received was from my boss who stated that I have strong emotional awareness skills. I developed skills such as empathy when I was learning to understand others by studying English. Being an English major gave me the ability to look outside myself and realize how other people feel and that they have big emotions that they may need help working through in order to become successful. I’m technically their instructor, but I also try to mentor my students and coach them through often difficult circumstances.
Recently, I have taken to asking my students who may be struggling what I can do to show up for them. Instead of me asking what they need, it makes the discussion more open-ended. It allows them to stop, think, and process what they need, from more study materials to a non-judgemental ear. Thanks to having been an English major, I am able to give back to an overlooked segment of the population and help them. I have found this to be the most rewarding thing I can do.
Are you a Sigma Tau Delta Alumni member? Consider submitting a blog to WORDY by Nature to share with your fellow Sigma Tau Delta members how you have been using your English degree.
Veronica Harris
Alpha Upsilon Phi Chapter, Alum
University of North Georgia, Gainesville, Oakwood, GA
Sigma Tau Delta
Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. The Society strives to
- Confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies;
- Provide, through its local chapters, cultural stimulation on college campuses and promote interest in literature and the English language in surrounding communities;
- Foster all aspects of the discipline of English, including literature, language, and writing;
- Promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members;
- Exhibit high standards of academic excellence; and
- Serve society by fostering literacy.
With over 900 active chapters located in the United States and abroad, there are more than 1,000 Faculty Advisors, and approximately 9,000 members inducted annually.
Sigma Tau Delta also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.
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