Why We Love the English Department
The English Department is proud of its world-class faculty and staff, its dynamic course offerings, its rigorous yet adaptive curriculum, and its amazing and inspiring students. We offer our students the opportunity to study and work with texts and media that have shaped, and been shaped by, the English language. Our diverse spectrum of classes covers a wide variety of topics in literature, media, composition, cultural theory, and language studies ranging from antiquity to the twenty-first century. In our classes, students explore multiple cultural traditions and cultivate skills in critical thinking, creative expression, close reading, persuasive writing, and effective speaking.
The Department provides small, student-centered classes, innovative educational methods, and close faculty-student interaction. Our faculty members have earned numerous awards for excellence in teaching, research, and writing; they are nationally and internationally recognized in creative and critical fields. Our students have amassed an enviable record of placement in graduate programs and professional positions. We thank you for your investment in them!
You Can Make an Impact
The English Department is committed to providing direct support to our students through scholarship gifts. This year we are encouraging gifts to support student scholarships to help ensure that students continue their education during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scholarships have always allowed the Department to recognize and encourage our students, but this support is especially critical to inspire students during these uncertain times.
Contributions to the English Department fund will support activities such as:
- Student opportunities to travel and present at national conventions
- Student participation in competitive creative writing workshops
- Academic enrichment and curricular support through scholarships
- Student-led literary journals and publications
- And other activities that protect our department's mission of high-quality instruction!
Here's How Your Contributions have Impacted Students this Year:
"Because of your generous contribution I was able to attend AWP [Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference] for the first time. As an Appalachian, I don’t take these opportunities lightly—without your donation, I wouldn’t have been able to attend, represent Western Washington, and attend an event that furthers me intellectually and professionally. Thank you so much!" (B. Woods, English MFA and Bellingham Review Managing Editor, Expected Grad 2022)
"The classes and revisions and workshops that I have the privilege of attending have pushed my storytelling to increased heights... This [scholarship] will grant me more time to focus on publication and the pursuit of a future career." (I. Simons, Creative Writing Major, Expected Grad 2023)
"As I head into summer and plan the coming academic year (my thesis, my comprehensive exams, my teaching, my classes), this scholarship will help me study in safety and comfort. As I’ve become more a part of Western’s community — meeting other grad students, getting active, connecting with different departments — I’ve come to feel that this upcoming year at Western is a precious chance. " (English Scholarship Awardee)
"As a first-generation college student, your generosity has made my family and I humbled to no end." (J. Sanchez, Creative Writing Major with Teaching Endorsement, Expected Grad 2022)
"It means so much to have people in our corner who believe in the value of an English degree to the point that you are actively funding my work and the work of other students like me" (G. Fiser, Literature Major, Expected Grad 2023)
"The financial assistance you provided will be of significant help to me in paying my educational expenses, and it will allow me to concentrate more of my time on exploring the genres within poetry and creative nonfiction, both of which strike me as somehow vital to the process of excavating our shared humanity." (E. Freckleton, Creative Writing Major, Expected Grad 2023)
"I have always had a great love of learning, a fascination with stories, and a deep capacity for critical thinking. Since coming to Western, I have had the opportunity to develop my love of the written word into in-depth and thoughtful scholarship within Western's wonderfully nurturing English department" (R. Ferguson, Literature Major, Expected Grad 2023)
"I'm an English major, looking to be a high school English teacher, but I'm gently collecting experiences to get there... Your gift will help me take the long way round, finding my way to the words I'm searching for with my family, my education, and my future." (R. Huentelman, Creative Writing Major with Teaching Endorsement, Expected Grad 2024)
"Receiving this scholarship supports me greatly in my journey of becoming a teacher. Next step, I plan on going to graduate school, which additionally expends resources, so this is such a gift in giving me a boost of support in my education." (S. Check, Literature Major with Teaching Endorsement, Expected Grad 2023)
Thank you for caring about our students!
