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| Gallion with partner, Hans Velasquez |
This morning, I drove through Beverly Hills to get to my office. Yesterday, I went to see Viet Thanh Nguyen give a reading at Skylight Books in Los Feliz. Tomorrow I’ll watch the sun set from atop The Griffith Observatory. And I can trace all of this joy and success to my undergraduate start at Ashland University.
This January, I relocated to Los Angeles, California, for a new job at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)—I accepted an administrative position as an Academic Advisor within the Fielding School of Public Health. I started my journey in higher education as an undergraduate student at Ashland University, an intimidated first-generation student excited and anxious to begin taking English and Creative Writing courses. Academia scared me, and I felt a deep sense of imposter syndrome being on campus. Ashland University’s English faculty, however, soon made me feel not only welcomed, but also competent. Intelligent. Important. I felt heard in my classrooms, and discovered an atmosphere that encouraged deep learning. My love for literature and creating increased daily throughout my four years there.
Upon graduating, I began a two-year graduate program at Kent State University in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs. I wanted (and still want) to pursue a doctoral program in English, but found that I enjoyed and wanted more experience in administrative work within the university system. I was especially interested in working with Study Abroad programs and International Student Services, and Kent State’s program offered a certificate in Internationalization as well as a master’s degree. I excelled in my academic pursuits during this graduate program; while my cohort struggled to write lengthy papers and felt intimidated by class discussion, I felt totally adequate and successful. I attribute this success entirely to my education at Ashland University within the English department; I learned what critical thinking meant in Bixler Hall, and have carried these lessons with me into my professional life.
For two years, I worked in Jacksonville, Florida as a Study Abroad Advisor at the University of North Florida. Here, thanks to my administrative perk of tuition remission, I was able to begin another master’s program in Literature. I took a James Joyce Seminar along with an Early American Literature course—again, I felt intimidated and excited to begin this graduate work in the subject I still craved and adored. And, again, I excelled. I thrived back in a classroom environment that again enabled critical thinking and discussion.
My partner and I moved to Los Angeles for his career (as a film editor). Luckily, I found this wonderful position at UCLA. Here I get to assist graduate students in event planning, applying for the program, registering for classes, and more. I work closely with faculty and guest lecturers, and am heavily involved with the day-to-day comings and goings of the university. It’s humbling to be on this campus daily—to see palm trees along the streets and feel 75 degree weather every day. I love my work, and I love having such easy access to higher education. I have also began freelance writing for an online magazine, and have been consistently writing and submitting my creative work. The literary scene in Los Angeles is very active, and I’ve taken advantage of meeting many writers (Elif Batuman, Melissa Broder, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ramona Ausubel, etc.), and has enabled me to stay active in the literary world.
I still hope to begin a doctoral program in English—my dream (as it has been since my English Comp 102 class with Dr. Linda Joyce Brown and my Intro to Creative Writing class with Dr. Joe Mackall) is to dive deeper into this subject, and to teach—to share it with students who pursue and are curious of the same passions. I am incredibly proud of my journey, and thank Ashland University for giving me not only my confidence, but my joy.
