Rhetoric and Composition Alumni
Laura Samuels LeBlanc
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Laura is a Content Manager with the American Institute of CPAs in Durham, NC. She manages the production of professional documents from the completed manuscript to final proof stage.
Laura received her M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition from NC State in 2006. She served as an assistant with the Campus Writing and Speaking Program and also as a teaching assistant. Her thesis focused on the effects of computer technologies on writing pedagogies.
"Rhet/Comp gave me incredible project management skills with my thesis work and my employment as a teaching assistant. I constantly realize how much I use those skills on a daily basis. . . My MA degree provided me with great discussion material for job interviews."
Read more from Laura . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Laura Samuels LeBlanc to learn more about her experiences in NC State's master's option in rhetoric and composition.
Toby F. Coley
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Toby F. Coley graduated with his M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition from NC State in 2007. He is currently teaching composition as a Ph.D. student at Bowling Green State University where he continues his interests in computers and writing and in exploring how scholars in composition negotiate their religious beliefs in their scholarship. Toby is also the upcoming Program Assistant to Department Chair of Rhetoric and Writing at Bowling Green State University.
"I started out in literature for my M.A. and switched over when I took
an independent study in rhetoric and composition with Chris Anson. I knew
from that moment and those readings that this was the area of study for
me."
Read
more from Toby . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Toby F. Coley to learn more about his experiences in NC State's master's option in rhetoric and composition.
Alice Osborn
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Since her December 2006 graduation from NC State, Alice has been enjoying success as a poet, freelance writer/editor, and creative writing instructor to adults and young students. She's a former Raleigh Charter English teacher and current faculty member of NC State's Young Writer's Camp. Alice is also the owner of Write From the Inside Out. She has recently published articles for The Raleigh News and Observer and in Inc.Technology, poetry in Main Street Rag and the 2008 Kakalak Poetry Anthology, and book reviews in The Pedestal Magazine.
"I didn't know anything about rhetoric before this class and was fascinated
with the teaching of writing and making one's writing adaptable to different
audiences."
Read more from Alice . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Alice Osborn to learn more about her experiences in NC State's master's option in rhetoric and composition.
Ashley Holmes
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After graduating with her M.A. in rhetoric and composition from NC State in 2005, Ashley taught full-time as a Lecturer at Elon University. In Fall 2008, she began her Ph.D. in the Rhetoric, Composition, and Teaching of English (RCTE) at the University of Arizona.
"One of my most fulfilling (and challenging) moments was stepping in
front of my first composition classroom as the sole instructor."
Read
more from Ashley . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Ashley Holmes to learn more about her experiences in NC State's master's option in rhetoric and composition.
Jennifer Cover
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Jennifer Cover is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech University. After receiving her B.S. in Education at the University of South Dakota, Jennifer graduated with her M.A. in rhetoric and composition from NC State in 2005. Jennifer has presented at the last two Conferences on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) and at the "Who Owns Writing" Conference in October 2008.
"When one of the second-year students told me she was writing her
thesis on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I realized just how flexible Rhet/Comp
can be."
Read more from Jennifer . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Jennifer Cover to learn more about her experiences in NC State's master's option in rhetoric and composition.
Anita Furtner
Anita Furtner began her Rhetoric and Composition journey with a B.A. in English with a concentration in Nonfiction Writing and Editing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Her M.A. in rhetoric and composition at NC State, which she earned in 2001, broadened her areas of study to include crisis communication, writing across the curriculum, and the rhetoric of recovering addicts. Anita is now a Communication Specialist for Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona.
"Working with students in the College of Textiles gave me a better
understanding of how other disciplines view writing . . ."
Read
more from Anita . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Anita Furtner to learn more about her experiences in NC State’s master’s option in rhetoric and composition.
Kelly Pender
Kelly Pender is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing at Virginia Tech University in Blackburg, Virginia. After graduating with her M.A. in rhetoric and composition from NC State in 2000, Kelly continued her interests in composition theory/history, rhetorical theory/history, and literary theory, and graduated with a Ph.D. in English Rhetoric and Composition at Purdue University in 2005.
"Mike Carter's History of Rhetoric course … was the first
course of the program I took, and I didn't think I would like it. But Mike's
enthusiasm was contagious, and I was almost instantly assured that I had
found exactly what I wanted to study."
Read
more from Kelly . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Kelly Pender to learn more about her experiences in NC State's master's option in rhetoric and composition.
Shaun Slattery
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Shaun Slattery is the Director of New Media Studies and Assistant Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse at DePaul University in Chicago. Shaun received his B.S. in Communication with a Public Relations concentration and an English minor at Appalachian State University before graduating with his M.A. in Rhet/Comp from NC State in 2000. He then received his Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006. His recent work has been published in Technical Communication Quarterly and he is the co-author of an article on methods of digital writing research.
“Rhet/Comp was such a new package of ideas to me. The program at
NC State was an excellent foundation in concepts that helped me succeed
in my Ph.D. program.”
Read
more from Shaun . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Shaun Slattery to learn more about her experiences in NC State’s master’s option in rhetoric and composition.
Beth Bir
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Currently an Assistant Professor of English and the Coordinator of the CHEER program [Creating Expectations for Educational Readiness] at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Beth Bir received her M.A. at NC State in 1998. After graduation, Beth's interest in basic writing fueled her Ph.D. studies in rhetoric and composition at UNC Greensboro and her 2007 dissertation, titled "Teaching Matters: Pedagogical Ideologies and Success in the Basic Writing Classroom."
"For me, the study of Rhet/Comp is about effective teaching. Rhet/Comp
theory looks at who students are and what they bring with them and figures
out how to combine that with who they want to be and the skills they need
to be successful in their courses."
Read
more from Beth . . .
Prospective students are welcome to contact Beth Bir to learn more about her experiences in NC State's master's option in rhetoric and composition.
