Concurrent Enrollment Instructor Spotlight: Steven Merrell

Steven Merrell is an adjunct Concurrent Enrollment instructor and alumni of USU’s English Department. He began his educational journey as an undergraduate at USU Uintah Basin in the fall of 2011 pursuing a double major in English and History. In 2013, he was elected to USU Student Association as a Student Representative where he served for five consecutive years from 2013 to 2018. In the summer of 2015, he was hired as the USU-UB writing tutor and served until spring 2019.

Steven graduated in the spring of 2019 with an emphasis in education, a minor in folklore, and a teaching certificate through the Utah State Board of Education. In 2020, he was admitted to USU’s graduate program to specialize in folklore and was awarded the highly esteemed the Hubbard Family Scholarship within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Steven was also a graduate instructor and taught both English 1010 and English 2010. He graduated in the spring of 2022 and was hired shortly after to be a Concurrent Enrollment adjunct instructor. In 2024, he was awarded the Adjunct Teacher of the Year award. Recently, Steven applied for and was accepted into a MA/Ph.D. program for Mythology Studies at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. After being admitted to the Myth Studies program, Steven was awarded the prestigious Joseph Campbell Scholarship.

Steven says that his experience at USU — both during his undergraduate and graduate programs — has given him the skills he needs to be a productive and effective instructor. He says: “While attending USU, I was a substitute teacher which gave me first-hand experience with high school students. Going through my educational courses at USU gave me theoretical knowledge of education. Both experiences contributed to obtaining my teaching license through the Utah State Board of Education. While going through my courses at USU, I was able to watch and learn methods, styles, and overall pedagogies from my teachers that I could adopt and incorporate in my future classes. One of the greatest experiences was the variety of class delivery modalities such as in-person, broadcast/Connect, and virtual/online. While I was a graduate instructor, I was able to get the experience of teaching higher education classes. Having my experience in my other capacities at USU also helped give me skills and insights to help and serve students at USU. With all of my experiences at USU combined, I have been able to customize an effective curriculum for concurrent enrollment classes that are transmitted via the Connect system.”

In reflecting back on his past experiences, Steven says that the number one thing that he can say to help current students learn about the English program and degree is that it is a humanities subject which should help any student see the world around them in a better light and bigger scope. He notes, “From composition and research writing to literature and other classes within the English department and program, the greatest outcome is critical thinking. From my experiences, when it comes down to it, the best way to get the most out of the English program and degree is to put as much as you can into it. An English degree helped me to critically think about, see, and understand the world around me as well as my place or part within it. It has helped me become a free and independent thinker. At times, it can seem daunting and overwhelming. Many students oftentimes shy away from engagement especially in courses that are more interpretive (like English) than having an A. B. C. or D. answer (like math). Don’t be afraid to dive into the subject as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to make a positive splash. You never know how the story will end unless you crack the cover and start reading. It will make all the difference.”