Liberal Arts and Sciences

Professional Writing alumnus Jay McPherson has been accepted to the prestigious master’s degree program in library science at the University of Washington. Jay’s Woodbury career, which included editorial work for MORIA and a published poetry chapbook, made him an attractive candidate, as did his internship at the Sims Library of Poetry. Jay shared his thoughts about attending graduate school and how his experience in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences helped him find his passion.

Since graduating, he had yet to find a job that he found fulfilling. When he started thinking about what work he’d done that met that desire for meaningfulness, he kept coming back to his time interning at the Sims Library of Poetry. The Sims Library is the first black-owned poetry library in California, with a mission to “serve, educate, and find love for poetry, especially for marginalized people of color in the community of South Los Angeles.”

“I could feel the impact my work had on the library, and how the library impacted the community it was created for. Being there meant something,” he recalls. Jay considered a master’s in library science because it will give him this same sense of purpose while supporting his love of writing and creation. “Something that really stuck with me from Sims was their oldest book of poetry. It’s over 100 years old, and yet we can still read it as though it was published yesterday,” he explains. “How incredible is that? How wonderful is it to be able to share in the art and experiences of people who lived lifetimes ago?”

In his future career, Jay hopes to pursue archival work, so he can help “preserve the writing and art people poured their hearts and souls into, so that people decades after they’ve passed can read it and go, ‘Wow. I understand you.’ . . .  I think people forget far too often just how similar we are to people who lived lifetimes ago.”

Jay was introduced to the Sims Library by CLAS faculty Mike Sonksen, and he cites that opportunity along with his love of poetry fostered at Woodbury with leading him to his current path.

After bouncing from two universities and five majors, Nicole Greenwood, Interdisciplinary Studies major (class of ’19), was on the verge of dropping out entirely. Luckily, she met with Dr. Will McConnell who told her that the attributes that made it difficult to find the right major were qualities the INDS program celebrated. “That first meeting with Will was hugely inspirational,” Nicole states, “by the time I decided other majors weren’t for me I was in too deep, I’d have to stay in college two to three years longer and choose a major that wouldn’t recognize the classes I’d already completed.”

Nicole was concerned she’d have to focus on some interests and leave out others she felt were integral to building a strong graduating portfolio. She was ready to leave college altogether when she learned that INDS fit her entrepreneurial vision. “INDS is for students who couldn’t triple major,” she observes, but quickly clarifies that INDS is about more than just finding a major that can get you a job. “It’s about figuring out what you want to provide to the world.” Nicole’s combined studies in media technology, 3D design, and communications appealed to the solar company NRG Clean Power, which recruited her to act as a project coordinator. She eventually wants to obtain her contractor’s license and work with her research partner, INDS major Kendra Quandra, to build sustainable developments.

Gigi Manukyan, a Political Science graduate (class of ’19), focused her research on genocide, mass atrocity, and conflict resolution. This led her to work with the Center for Leadership and Student UN to bring two speakers to campus: Joseph Alexander, a holocaust survivor who told of his experience in twelve concentration camps, and historian Daniel Ohanian, who discussed the impact of genocide on Ottoman Armenians and how it shapes the Armenian experience today. “There is nothing more powerful than hearing those stories, they will haunt me for the rest of my life. They made me realize the human, personal story behind genocide. You hear their emotion, and see the pain in their eyes.” She cites the Political Science program’s small size and great connection with professors as motivators for taking her education into her own hands and mining opportunities. For these two events, she gained skills in organizing a political event. She conducted background research, made connections with speakers, coordinated efforts between clubs, and facilitated outside news media to attend and report on the event (the Los Angeles Times reported on the Joseph Alexander event). After graduation, Gigi entered an internship in the NGO Post Conflict Research Center in Sarajevo with a focus on Bosnia’s nation-building and efforts to stem violence from resurging in the country. She then worked as editor-in-chief of Entertainment Scoop, an online celebrity news/ lifestyle content site for a period of time before stepping down during the pandemic to study for the LSAT.

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Samantha Mazzola, a History graduate (class of ’19), cites the program’s small size and the personalized attention she received in directed study classes as experiences she’ll always remember. “Being in such an intimate environment with classmates from very different backgrounds and perspectives really hones your diplomacy skills,” Samantha states, recalling that Woodbury’s close, interactive environment helped her forge respect for everyone in her program. She also cited an experience working in a directed study with Professor Douglas Cremer that made her college experience unique from most others. Dr. Cremer and Samantha hold similar interests in Early Medieval Europe and Catholicism, so he crafted a class around that topic, even running the readings past Samantha for her approval. This cooperative effort enabled Samantha to direct her learning, while also benefitting from Dr. Cremer’s mentorship. After leaving Woodbury, Samantha plans to pursue a master’s degree in history and has accepted an offer at San Francisco State University. Her long-term goal is to help other budding historians as a community college professor.

Lorenzo M. Antonio, Professional Writing minor (class of ’19), is a huge Dodgers Fan. In fact, he’s a fan of all L.A. sports teams and aspires to a career in sports journalism. His passion for sports started when he was five and he still loves the feeling of sitting in Dodgers Stadium, hearing the crowd, admiring the teamwork, and observing fellow baseball fans react to surprising plays. His ideal job would be splitting his time working as a play-by-play announcer for the Dodgers and serving as a sports show host (preferably on FS1). Lorenzo graduated in 2019 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, and he states that his decision to be a writing minor was “absolutely, 100%” essential to helping him build the skills needed to move in that direction. Writing helped Lorenzo express his thoughts on paper, which he could then translate into copy for his podcast, Lo-Ro Antonio’s Sportstalk Podcast  https://anchor.fm/lo-ro-antonio.  Lorenzo also has a Woodbury University Sports Center show that airs at 7 am and 4 pm every Thursday. While writing helped him become a young sports talk content producer, he recommends the writing minor to any student who will work on multiple platforms in their future careers.

Duncan Anderson, an Interdisciplinary Studies student, has been on the Dean’s list every semester since transferring to Woodbury. He chose the INDS program because he wanted to specify his coursework to his interests and passions, while also obtaining an excellent comprehensive education. Duncan focuses his research on business with concentrations in music management and film marketing, while pursuing acting. For Duncan, acting is not just a vocation. After a series of misfortunate life events, he realized acting not only gave him a way to alleviate stress and explore other mindsets, but also the ability to help inspire others to see the silver lining. He says, “The flexibility of my INDS path is a huge plus because it allows me to explore a combination of particular interests. This opportunity was not available at any other college or even path of academia.”

As with most industries, Covid-19 has made it harder for Duncan to attend to his acting career, but he stays optimistic. “If you truly want something, you will stop at nothing to make it happen. Rain, shine, or pandemic, it’s game on!” he says. His advice to fellow classmates, “If you are having issues believing in yourself due to this pandemic, just know that the world has you here for a reason and you are studying what you love for a reason. All this sounds quite optimistic, but with hard work, dedication, and mastery you’re all learning in class, even online. Let’s keep our heads held high and look at the stars with our feet on the ground!”

Writing minor Jessica Ordaz published her first poem in Cultural Weekly in May 2019. Until recently, Jessica only shared her stories and poetry with family and friends. She now has three poems published and says it feels incredible knowing the general public is reading her work. The publication experience has inspired her to write more. We expect to see a lot more from her in the future. Check out her poem here:

Read her poem

When Interdisciplinary Studies (INDS) major, Faith Auon, was approached to start a radio show on WU Radio, Woodbury’s internet station, she loved the idea. Not wanting to do the show alone, she called upon two friends and now co-hosts, Ava Kramer and Niamh Heatherington, to launch the program, Undressed! The show takes a deep dive into popular culture to reveal the underlying theories and problems, whether they are political, philosophical, or societal. Faith, Ava, and Niamh begin by writing up a loose set of questions and then they dive into research. The best episodes, Faith says, “Happen when the conversation goes in a different direction than originally expected, like when we started out talking about evolving technologies and ended up debating if we would get Elon Musk’s brain chip.” Faith hopes episodes like these stimulate conversation and encourage their listeners to “form their own opinions and philosophies on subjects we talk about.”

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