Sheridan McGuire

Major concentration: Editing, Writing, and Media

Hometown: naperville, illinois

How did you decide on English-EWM as your major?

I originally enrolled at FSU as an English-Creative Writing major. I wanted to be an author. I decided that it would probably be more viable to have a major that would cover me if the author thing didn't work out. I wanted to work in publishing as a back-up, so I switched to EWM.

What was your favorite part of being an English major?

My favorite part of being an English major had to be the classes and the professors I had over my time at FSU. While many of my classes were typical literature classes, I was able to take other classes within the major that dealt with media, and I had a lot of freedom to complete assignments regarding the topics I was interested in. FSU faculty members Dr. Lindsey Eckert, Dr. Michael Neal, Dr. Carla Della Gatta, and graduate teaching assistant Phil Grech were some of my favorite professors I had during my time at FSU because their classes were inviting, thought-provoking, and helped shape me academically.

What one memory of your time at FSU do you think I’ll always remember?

One memory from FSU that I will always remember was the full year I spent studying abroad. Because I am an out-of-state student, I was able to enroll in FSU's First-Year Abroad program, where I spent the fall, spring, and summer semesters of in London. I have tons of stories from my time there, and I spent a lot of time exploring and meeting the locals, but overall, studying abroad will be the memory I remember forever.

What was it like for you to complete the Honors in the Major project?

It definitely was not easy completing my Honors in the Major project. Besides the many hours researching and writing, I shifted the scope of my project a few times. In addition, the shift to online [during the pandemic] made things difficult in terms of motivation. One of the things that I appreciated most was my thesis director, Dr. Eckert, pushing me and helping me through the motivational issues I was having. It helped to have a thesis director and a committee who all believed in me and pushed me to produce high quality and meaningful work.

What would you tell a student who is considering English as their major?

English is a great major if you make the most of the degree. There are a lot of classes, such as Writing and Editing in Print and Online, theatre classes, and others that can help you expand your horizons. English is a good major as a stepping stone as well to get into graduate programs for those who decide to do so.

What are your post-graduation plans?

I am currently seeking job opportunities as a social media manager for an esports organization. Esports are competitive video games, and the industry is currently one of the fastest growing. I have no concrete offers yet, but I hope to help a professional esports organization with its social media game. My post-graduation plans just go to show how flexible and widely applicable the English major is.