Student Profiles
Frank Keller
 Frank
Keller had such positive experiences at Northwestern as an
undergraduate English student that he wanted to continue his
studies on a more advanced level. He also wanted to begin
his career as a teacher. So he became certified to teach high
school, got a job, and applied for the MALit program at SCS.
Q: So this was a strategic plan for
you to continue at SCS rather than study full time at Northwestern?
FK: Yes. SCS provides
a flexibility that can fit in to any schedule. It was important
to me that I be able to continue my education without starting
and stopping my career. I know other graduate students who
are in cohort programs, moving from class to class at a designated
pace. With my teaching and coaching schedule, I simply would
not have been able to do that.
Q: Do you feel you are able to get help
when you need it?
FK: There is great support
here - sometimes you might have to seek it out, but
if you do, there are a lot of people who are there to help
you along. All you have to do is ask.
Q: What aspect of the program has been
most beneficial to your career?
FK: The opportunity to
build a bridge between my SCS studies and my high school classroom.
Sometimes I've even been studying a specific text at
the same time I'm teaching it, which happened with Fitzgerald's
The Great Gatsby. I was able to play the dual role of student
by night and teacher by day, which was very rewarding.
Q: Do your students appreciate the
challenge of being presented with college-level topics?
FK: I think so, and I
feel that I am able to lead by example, if you will. I demonstrate
to them that it's okay to have a lifelong passion for
literature and learning.
Paige Conley
 Paige
Conley was dedicated to getting her master of arts in literature
degree in 2004 from the School of Continuing Studies, and
one way it showed was in the commute she took on for two years.
PC: I live in Milwaukee,
so distance was probably the most challenging thing for me.
But there was a lifestyle change that I was looking for, and
I felt Northwestern's program would help me achieve
that goal. In fact, I was accepted for master's work
at Wisconsin–Madison and also at the University of York
in England, but when I compared their class choices, Northwestern's
offerings were much more alluring.
Q: What led you to take the next step?
PC: Well, I practiced
law for about 10 years but I was looking for more intellectual
freedom-to be able to embrace different ways of problem
solving, and perhaps learn to order the world in a different
way.
I thought about it for almost two years. I would get the course
catalogs from SCS, and I was always intrigued and fascinated
by the courses being offered. My long-term goal was to teach,
and this program has been a wonderful stepping-stone.
Q: Do you anticipate teaching right
away, or will you continue your studies after this degree?
PC: I don't know
yet, but I see myself pretty well prepared to do either.
Q: What do you find most rewarding
about study at SCS?
PC: One of the great things
about SCS is that there's no ceiling. The faculty are
very encouraging. They treat the students with tremendous
dignity and respect. It is a very warm and supportive environment.
I felt at home here right away.
Cherie Kline
A former high-school English teacher, Cherie Kline runs
a tutoring business from her home in Highland Park and oversees
a busy household. Her three children were in second, fourth,
and sixth grades when she started the MALit program.
Q: Why did you choose the MALit program?
CK: I love literature and
teaching and always have wanted to go to Northwestern. Most
kids today aren't excited about literature, and I wanted
to get them excited. I'll be able to take what I've
studied at SCS - Shakespeare, Twain, Cervantes, Sophocles -
back to my work in the classroom. I immediately noticed the
effects
on my tutoring. I'm also using what I've learned
and am creating educational materials for schools.
Q: Can you describe what it was like to
go back to school?
CK: I was like a kid in a candy store
- I wanted to take everything. In fact, I was so excited about starting
the program that I couldn't wait and joined the thesis
group
before I started the classes - now, three years later,
I'm putting those notes to use as I finish my thesis on Don
Quixote. When
I took my first literature class, Mediterranean Shakespeare,
taught by Martin Mueller, it was a revelation. Discussing why these
plays
are set where they are made my mind race. I was so revved
up I couldn't sleep at night after his classes.
Q: What do you think of the course offerings?
CK: The possibilities are endless.
You can take any subject as far as you want. My classes piqued my curiosity
and made me want to go further. I'd go home and do research
online.
At the end of a quarter studying Don Quixote I
wanted more, so I continued by doing independent study. The program is
very flexible.
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