A sense of belonging by Ashley (Braun) Gendek '09, Assistant Professor of English
Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, where he also participated in the repertory company and earned a bachelor's in history from Cal State University, Northridge. From the University of Arizona, Molly went on to earn her MFA in creative writing and writing for the performing arts from the University of California, Riverside, and a master's in English and critical literacy from Georgia Southwestern State University.
Kentucky Wesleyan College is no stranger to dynamic duos. Some notable husband/wife duos readers might recall include Dr. Henry Milton '22 and Nell (Ball) Pyles; Joe '56 and Margaret (Baggett) Britton '56; Billy Pat '60 and Ruthie (Hutton) Hume '62; Dr. Robert and Nancy Flachskam; and more recently Dr. Joe and Kelly Moffett; Caleb and Nicole Neiman; and Matthew Ruark '09 and Rebecca McQueen-Ruark. In 2017, Nate, assistant professor of theatre, and Molly Gross, assistant professor of English, joined that group. The Grosses met while attending the University of Arizona where Nate was working toward a master of fine arts in acting and directing and Molly was working toward a bachelor of fine arts in the same discipline. According to Nate, they officially met while acting in a play together where Molly's character was in love with his character. "It may have been the opposite off stage," Nate admitted.
So how did they end up at Kentucky Wesleyan? While in Southern California, the two ran a theatre company together. "I also taught high school theatre, and Molly taught online while staying home with the babies," Nate explained, referring to their children, Anne (12) and Seth (10). Molly taught reading and writing to gifted children through Johns Hopkins University. "I loved giving young writers feedback on their work," Molly explained, "just as I'd loved it as a writing tutor in college, and I could stay home with my little ones." Their ultimate goal became teaching in higher education. "When Nate and I both felt it was time to teach on the college level, SoCal proved stingy with full-time jobs, so we cast a wide-set net." Their search landed them at Andrew College in Cuthbert, Ga. While they were grateful for the opportunity there,
"I feel like I use my theatre experience daily in how I strive to listen and communicate well with my students." MOLLY
Before that, Nate attended the American Academy of
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Kentucky Wesleyan Magazine
