Jacquelin Anderson is a freshman at Millikin University. She is pursuing a major in Secondary English Education, along with a certification in Special Education. Jacquelin is also a member of the Millikin Women's basketball team, is a member of the University Honors program, and works at Millikin as a tutor. Future goals for Jacquelin include being a high school English teacher, basketball coach, and eventually a principal at the middle or high school level.
Arica Burns is a junior English writing major with a Journalism concentration at Millikin University. She spends most of her time writing for The Decaturian, or her blog, but if she's not writing for them, then she's writing creatively somewhere around Decatur.
Olivia Cooper is a freshman from Mt. Pulaski, Illinois. Att Millikin, she is studying English Education with a plan to teach high school English. Coming up, she is considering getting a minor in journalism as well. She is also a member of the softball team here at Millikin. Her favorite things about Millikin are the relationships she has made and the ones still to come, as well as the atmosphere she has experienced so far as a freshman! She enjoys writing, singing with the windows down, hanging out with friends and family, and living life to fullest. Go Big Blue!
Nathaniel GrayBeal is an English major with a minor of publishing and editing, going soon into a Master of Library Science and Research to be a librarian. When not in school, they are reading or writing. Born and raised in Decatur, they are a local for anything related to books.
Isabel Hochleutner is a sophomore English Secondary Education major at Millikin University. She is from Joliet, IL, and is an only child with a dog and two cats. Isabel enjoys writing, exercising, music, being outdoors, and trying new coffee shops. She is also passionate about psychology and mental health issues. Isabel loves writing because it gives her a creative outlet to clear her head and express her thoughts. She plans to teach high school English after graduating and wants to eventually open her own coffee shop one day.
Jessica Janus is a Sophomore at Millikin University studying English Education. She has had a love for reading and writing her whole life and is always eager to create. She is especially thrilled to have worked on a casebook that has allowed her to explore more about her Native American heritage.
Gwen Klinkey is a sophomore English Literature and Professional Writing double major, but if she weren't, Gwen would have been a history major. She presides as President of Millikin Student Senate and is an active member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. The next stage in Gwen's life is graduate school. It has been Gwen's dream since seventh grade to get her doctorate; she wants to lecture on the classics and aspires to teach a class on Jane Austen books and their film and TV adaptations. Gwen enjoys strawberry cheesecake ice cream, bodice-ripper romance novels, and watching Star Wars with her four dogs.
Alexis Monnet is a senior English Education major with a Special Education endorsement. She enjoys spending time with her dogs, Kelso and Shooter, reading novels with head canons, and watching Criminal Minds. After she graduates, she would like to incorporate diverse books such as There There into her high school curriculum so her students can gain perspective about different cultures and minority communities. She also plans to adopt as many dogs as her fiancée will let her.
Sophie Nicholson is a freshman English Literature major at Millikin University. As campus activities resume per usual in the coming semesters, you will find her improvising in Math Club or working on Collage as the editor-in-chief. Some of her other hobbies include listening to moody '80s music, painting messy watercolors, and baking overly-ambitious cakes. Sophie is forever missing her adorable puppy back home and wishing she had more spring days to spend reading in the park.
Brooke Oitker is a junior English Literature major from Bloomington, Illinois. She is also pursuing an English Writing minor. She plans on graduating from Millikin in the Fall of 2021. Outside of class, you can find her watching anime or playing video games. She loves playing games like Apex Legends and Overwatch with her friends. If she isn't plugged into her laptop or Xbox, she's likely to be curled up with a book in hand. She is an avid enjoyer of all sorts of music, and you can likely find her with earbuds in as she walks around.
Athena Pajer is an English student studying literature and journalism and, as such, is passionate about discussing real issues on a deeper level. Born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, Pajer has spent the last four years working as a student journalist and editor for The Decaturian student newspaper. She is excited to further her writing career as a reporter for the Journal Gazette-Times Courier after graduating.
Dr. Tony R. Magagna is an Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department at Millikin University, specializing in modern and contemporary American literature. In addition to EN202: Writing About Literature, Dr. Magagna teaches a variety of literature courses, including classes on the modern American novel, contemporary American regionalism, modern American drama, and American popular culture. He has twice served as a Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies, both in Germany (2012-2013) and Japan (2018-2019). Over the last few years, Dr. Magagna has added a new dimension to his career, developing research and curricula focused on the intersections of interactive media and literature. You can find the course website for his Digital Literatures course here