Writing their own success stories: Recent graduates to share their own tales in Writers@Work residency

Making a living and a life with your words. That’s the dream of many a college graduate, and four recent Fredonia graduates will share just how they made that happen in traditional and new media at “Young Alumni: Four Years Out,” a Writers@Work residency to be held on Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, in the Williams Center.

The residency coincides with both the Office of Admissions’ Accepted Students Reception and the annual conference hosted by the Fredonia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Both Writers@Work sessions will be held at Williams Center Room S204-ABC and are free and open to the public.

Returning to their alma mater will be 2013 graduates:

Keah Brown	Ethan Powers
Kelley Lord	Christina Stock

• Keah Brown, a Journalism major now serving as a senior entertainment writer with clichemag.com, as well as a freelance writer for ESPNW, Teen Vogue and Lenny;

• Kelley Lord, Broadcast Journalism; video producer and writer, Elite Daily;

• Ethan Powers, Journalism; editor, The Clarence Bee; and

• Christina Stock, English; social media manager, Metro Robert Realty.

The four alumni will track their career trajectory and describe how their experiences at Fredonia helped to prepare them to work in media.

The foursome will participate in an informal panel discussion, "Writers@Work: Four Years Out," moderated by Communication Associate Professor Elmer Ploetz, on Friday, 4 to 6 p.m. Each will share his/her experiences and answer questions from students. Secondary school students as well as college students are welcome. Pizza and drinks will be provided.

At another informal discussion, on Saturday, 1 to 2 p.m., the graduates will talk about how they reached their current positions and the role that Fredonia played in their career success. Mr. Ploetz will also moderate this session. Refreshments will be served.

In addition, the graduates will visit classes and meet informally with student writers interested in pursuing similar careers.

This Writers@Work residency is organized by the Office of Alumni Affairs, Career Development Office, the campus Society of Professional Journalists chapter and the departments of Business, Communication, English and History. It is sponsored by the Carnahan Jackson Humanities Fund and the Mary Louise White Fund of the Fredonia College Foundation, Faculty Student Association and Fredonia Alumni Association.