What can you do with a degree in English? Ask our alumni!

Elizabeth Quintero '17 earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Chicago, with a minor in Environmental Studies. Her initial professional experience involved collaborating with nonprofit organizations dedicated to education within New York City, where she developed and implemented projects designing schoolyard gardens—landscapes consisting of vegetables and flowers that students actively cared for and harvested. This meaningful work fostered her passion for creating green spaces within urban environments. Subsequently, Elizabeth completed a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. As a designer and planner of outdoor environments, including parks, campus landscapes, and public gardens, she endeavors to integrate spatial complexity, ecological narratives, community engagement, and innovative design solutions. These competencies have been significantly strengthened by her background in literature, which cultivates her critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and enhances her capacity to reimagine and articulate the ways in which the built environment influences societal well-being and cultural narratives.

 

Haroula Rose is an award-winning Greek American filmmarker and performer from Chicago, now based also in Los Angeles. Her sophomore feature as writer and director, All Happy Families which stars Josh Radnor, Becky Ann Baker, Rob Huebel, Chandra Russell and John Ashton among others, is being Executive Produced by Michael Shannon. Her feature film debut Once Upon a River was called "One of the Most Anticipated FIlms" by TIME Magazine and Filmmaker, winning 19 awards at 40 festivals worldwide, including Best Director at the Bend Film Festival, Red Nation, the Alice Guy Blaché Emerging Female Filmmaker Award at Oxford, the Subbornly Independent Award at Tallgrass, and only the second American film ever to win the Efebo d'Oro in Palermo, Italy. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "'Once Upon a River' is a living prose poem filled with beautifully framed images and featuring some of the strongest writing and acting you'll find in any movie this year. It's not to be missed." She credits her time at UChicago with teaching her to think deeply and critically about both writing and reading.

Eli Edelson '13 graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in English and a creative thesis project entitled “Fight Nights at the Menagerie,” which earned the Napier Wilt Prize for Fiction Writing. After graduation, Eli returned to his hometown of New York to work in film finance and production at FilmNation Entertainment. Following a period working in TV development at Miramax, he transitioned to being a writers’ assistant for drama shows on FOX (BONES), Netflix (UNBELIEVABLE), and Max (RAISED BY WOLVES) before being promoted to writer. Most recently, Eli wrote on all three seasons of the series MOTHERLAND: FORT SALEM for Freeform/Hulu – and completed work as a Co-Producer. Eli currently works as a creative executive for the writer Tony McNamara, while pursuing his own TV and feature development. He’s also a longtime volunteer and founder of the WGF’s Veterans Writing Fellowship. Eli’s training in English at UChicago gave him the essential skills in critical reading, story analysis, and writing that have formed the foundation of all his work in Hollywood.

Jane Lopes '07 is a Nashville-based sommelier, author, and importer. After graduating from the University of Chicago in 2007, Lopes has built a career in the wine and hospitality industry that has spanned countries, decades, and disciplines. Lopes worked at New York’s Eleven Madison Park, Nashville’s The Catbird Seat, Chicago’s The Violet Hour, and most recently as the wine director at Attica, one of Australia’s most celebrated restaurants. She was featured on Esquire network’s 2015 television series Uncorked, which follows six New York City sommeliers in pursuit of the Master Sommelier title (which she attained in 2018, one of fewer than 300 people ever to do so). In September of 2019, she finally put her U of C literature degree to good use in publishing her first book, a personal and educational guide to wine called Vignette: Stories of Life and Wine in 100 Bottles. Through this book and other writings, Jane has written about issues in the wine industry, including mental and physical health, exploitation, sexual abuse, and corruption. In 2020, Lopes and her husband Jonathan Ross cofounded their Australian wine imports company, Legend. Her second book, How to Drink Australian (coauthored with her husband), was published in September 2023. Jane also proudly sits on the board of the nonprofit The Vinguard, which works to promote equity and sustainability in the wine industry.

David Klein '10 works in Corporate Responsibility for JPMorganChase where he cultivates and supports the firm’s partnerships with nonprofit, civic, and community organizations across multiple states. He is deeply passionate about building strong, inclusive, and thriving communities, and through his role, he focuses on developing relationships that will build economic investment in the markets he serves. Studying English at UChicago provided a strong foundation to David’s career and prepared him to navigate and understand complex systems and relationships. A humanities education provides the essential abilities to observe, analyze and strategize in nuanced situations. The heart of his work has always been relationship management, and being able to listen empathetically, to discern a partner’s goals, and to build winning strategies together are skills that trace their roots to reading great texts, analyzing critical theory, and asking big questions. Embracing the stories and ideas that shape society and culture have served him well through each phase of his career. 

Natalia McCormick '23 is a Research Associate II in the Health Care Programs Research Department at NORC at the University of Chicago. She works on researching public programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and the insurance Marketplaces. This research has wide-ranging impacts and allows me to make a tangible difference in the public health and health policy spaces. Natalia says, "The English major at UChicago sharpened my writing skills and provided me with valuable experience conducting qualitative research on a wide range of topics. Through the coursework and completing the BA thesis, I gained incomparable insights into the intricacies of qualitative research, much of which has translated into my current work as a health care researcher. Whether I am writing reports, analyzing survey data, or communicating with stakeholders, I draw on the critical thinking and communication skills I developed as an English major every day."