Graduates with an English major from Nyack College currently serve in the world and the church as missionaries, pastors, linguists and Bible translators, college professors, business leaders, journalists, public relations writers, editors, librarians, and creative writers.

 

       Anita (Hartzfeld) Alvarez (1994) is very appreciative of her English degree from Nyack. She has worn many hats since graduating: tutoring individuals in ESL, acting as co-writer on manuscripts, developing newsletters, and serving as managing editor for a company that published several cyber-magazines. As part of that position, she had the opportunity to copy edit, write, and proofread. Currently, she is a stay-at-home mom, as well as a part-time "e-structor" for an online company.

       Her English degree has allowed her great flexibility both as a mom and in her career interests. In addition, it developed in her a love for reading all kinds of materials. As an e-structor, she is privileged to use her critical thinking skills in serving students from a myriad of fields (psychology, education, medicine, business, etc.), and it is these critical thinking skills and an ability to research that she values most from her degree. She has adapted her skills into many other fields of service: serving as a Director of a MOPS group (a local mothers group) when her children were very young and using her skills as an intercessor and watchman for the region she lives in. A voracious appetite for information and the ability to consolidate and analyze information has helped her succeed in everything she does, and she hopes to apply those skills to writing more in the future. The most satisfying area in which she has translated her skills is Bible study. Although she had several Bible classes at Nyack that were beneficial, all of the skills she developed as an English major have helped her to navigate knowing how read God's Word, to understand it and to find surprises, as well as to receive fresh revelation.

       Anita believes an English degree offers a green light to journey through many different fields and areas of interest, whether as a marketplace minister, a servant in the church, or as a parent at home, where Anita derives great joy from seeing her children grab hold of a book and get lost in it.

 

       I majored in English because I loved English, and for no other reason. People often ask, “What were you planning to do with that degree?” and my answer is always the same: I had no idea, no plan for my future! However, I have no doubt that God was leading and directing me, and I have never once regretted my decision to major in English while at Nyack. I have used what I learned over and over again in the ensuing years.

       For me, one of the greatest advantages of having a degree in English was the development of my critical thinking skills. This has been a continual benefit to me since graduation, in my work in the journalism field, in studying the Word of God, and in homeschooling my children. I have no doubt that it was those papers I wrote in English Seminar with Dr. Joe Ricke that cemented that ability to think, process, and discern in my daily life, and I continue to enjoy the fruits of those years in Nyack’s English department.

       Currently, I’m using my English background to teach English classes for homeschooled teens. This has been an amazing ministry and an excellent opportunity to earn an income while staying home with my kids. I’ve loved revisiting Shakespeare and Essay Writing, and sharing that love with teenagers who may not otherwise be exposed to great literature; it’s been such a cool opportunity.

       I strongly recommend majoring in English, particularly to those who are unsure of their calling. A person may go in any number of directions after college, but an English degree will always be beneficial. Whether you plan to attend graduate school or head into the workplace, whether you plan to get married or enter full-time ministry, I believe a degree in English is a solid foundation on which to build your life.

       -Jennifer McKenzie Wright, Nyack Alum ‘91