Why English? Ellie Fallows Shares

Recent English Department alum Ellie Fallows always knew she would study English. Before coming to USU, she was determined to become an English teacher.

However, after her first clinical experience in a high school classroom, Ellie dropped the teaching emphasis. She knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do, but she didn’t know what was. When looking back at the courses she took in English, she realized she’d maintained the passion she always had for English, but she just needed to switch her emphasis to literature.

“The connections I made in my English classes both with peers and professors, as well as with the texts we were studying, gave me the confidence to stay in English, even if I didn’t know what I was going to do with it,” she reflects. “I was undergoing some serious character development.”

For Ellie, the faculty in the English Department is what makes it unique. Even professors she had for one semester remember her name and ask about her classes and future plans. “Each class I took, whether it was teaching, literature, or creative writing, I felt lifted up by my professors and capable of making something of myself. Because the department is small, and the classes are a smaller size, I felt like I could really connect with everyone and we could have in-depth discussions about any topics that arose from the texts we were reading,” Ellie shares.

As part of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society chapter at USU, Ellie has traveled to Pittsburgh to attend the annual convention and presented a personal paper and as a member of a roundtable.

“My classmates turned into some of my dearest friends,” she comments. “This past summer, some of those same friends and I started a Shakespeare book club. After each play, we would sit at Adams Park and discuss our thoughts and then cast each show with USU faculty or Hollywood movie stars. I felt like a true nerd geeking out about Brutus, Horatio, and Viola. It was magical.”

Ellie practiced this love of Shakespeare in Professor Phebe Jensen’s Special Topics in Literature class. This course curated a Shakespeare exhibition, which came with a lot of peer reviews, revisions, and teamwork. Now, Ellie is applying for a master’s program in Shakespeare, wanting to continue to explore and expand this passion.

“I also just wanted to note the personal growth I underwent during my time at USU,” Ellie says. “Dr. Rivera-Dundas taught me so much about myself by forcing me to evaluate my work and give myself a grade. The first class I took from her, the final self evaluation portfolio was one of the most painful things I had done, but her thoughtful feedback of the assignment and encouragement to bump up my self-proclaimed B was eye opening. For the first time, I had a professor understand my need for structure and my huge habit of major procrastination. She helped me see my own strengths, and my attitude and abilities blossomed beautifully after that course.”

Now that Ellie’s graduated, she is finishing graduate school applications and working until heading off to a librarian or Shakespeare program.

She remarks, “Whatever I do, I’m excited because I’ve truly grown as a person through my education at USU.”