Danielle Susi '13
BA Political Science; Independent Major in Creative Writing.
Programming and Media Coordinator at the Poetry Center of Chicago. After graduation, I decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I chose SAIC because I am interested in collaborative, community-based process and my program was an interdisciplinary one with a focus on experimental practice. I came to learn more about my writing and myself and to expand my ideas of what art and writing have the potential to be. I wanted a “nontraditional” program embedded in an art and design school and wanted access to other makers and thinkers who were similarly devoted to creating safe and creative community spaces. I decided to continue my education because I have an interest in teaching, but also in advancing my knowledge and my craft. I loved the idea of working with more professors and continuing creative discourse in a classroom setting. I completed my MFA in May of 2015. At SAIC I was able to gain more teaching experience as a writing fellow, teaching assistant, and as an instructor of First-Year composition. Additionally, I’ve worked as a graduate ambassador and social media coordinator for the graduate admissions department. I had a few really great jobs, but I also wanted to take an internship for credit. I started working with the Poetry Center of Chicago in July of 2014 and began by converting their analog audio archive into a digitally-based one. I was also managing their social media accounts and working on press releases. Eventually, I asked my boss if she would be interested in letting me curate a reading series and now I’ve been named their Programming and Media Coordinator, planning and executing events that are fun and exciting, but also showcase some of the most innovative and talented contemporary writers in Chicago. After my graduation from SAIC, I was also offered a position at Northwestern University. I am currently the Alumni Relations Coordinator for the School of Professional Studies, where I design program-specific communications, interview alumni for website profiles, and plan major events. It took a while for me to adjust to life in Chicago because I was hyper-involved at Quinnipiac and that type of community engagement slowed down significantly for me at the start of my graduate degree. I’ve since realized that I need to be very busy to feel motivated and happy in my surroundings. I like learning—I think I will always seek out educational experiences, even outside of the classic academic setting. Because I have a variety of interests, from literature and poetry, to nonprofit development, to international conflict, it’s hard to say where I’ll be next. Ideally, I would be in a position that allows me to grow my interest in community organizing and programming, while utilizing creative problem solving skills to make an impact on a larger population. The skills I developed most strongly at Quinnipiac were critical and creative thinking. As a writer and as someone who is developing and implementing public programming, I need to be able to solve problems quickly and effectively. At Quinnipiac I held leadership roles in the Global Affairs Association, Montage literary journal, and The Quad News, and had to manage a double major, internships, and on-campus jobs. During my senior year I was travelling to conferences around the country almost every weekend. Currently, I have many jobs and need to balance a number of responsibilities all at once. My experience at QU taught me how to stay organized and develop creative solutions to maximize the time and effort I put forth on projects. Through my coursework and extracurricular interactions, Quinnipiac helped me learn how to work hard and how to work in a way that ignites others. It’s important to find your own space on campus and to involve yourself in the things that make you happy. There should be less of a focus on what kinds of organizations or degrees will look good on the résumé, and more on what kind of activities or people will bring you joy and new challenges or experiences. On a job interview, employers can tell if you’re speaking passionately about your skills and interests, and that passion begins in the classroom and in student-run organizations. |