English Alumni Profile Cindy Hatcher Ehrett less intimated than most of my friends, who were heading to MegaUniversities, because Montevallo felt so small and relatively cozy.
school-attending, student loan-saddled peers.
Do you remember why you chose to be an English major? I’ve always been a huge book nerd--maybe it started because my grandfather was an English professor?--but I originally thought I wanted to teach high school English. I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me after taking an Intro to Education class at Montevallo. Which English teacher(s) do you remember as being of particular help to your education? All of them, honestly! I particularly loved Dr Elaine Hughes. Which English classes did you most enjoy? The small, more advanced level seminars where it was just a few of us book nerds sitting in a circle and chatting. Cindy Hatcher Ehrett graduated from Montevallo with a B.A. in English in 2000. She recently responded to these questions posed by her former teacher and supervisor Glenda Conway.
What career choices did you make after graduation? I was lucky enough to grab a foothold in the magazine publishing industry immediately after graduation (at Southern Progress Corporation in Birmingham). I did a lot of on-the-job learning, but I had a great foundation from my well-rounded liberal arts education--and at a definite fraction of the cost of my grad
Do you remember how you felt upon moving to Montevallo for your freshman year? I was so excited to be “on my own,” yet pretty safe knowing home wasn’t too far away. I was
YES,
Who are your favorite authors? I’ve always had a fondness for African-American literature and the Southern greats. What are you currently reading? Lots of magazines to stay on top of the competition! As for fun reading, I try to alternate a “serious” book with something lighter (it’s my brain candy!). I’m about to begin Tim Gunn’s (from Project Runway) new book. Back to something a little more challenging after that! What are you currently writing? To be honest, I don’t write much outside of my job. I am Associate Editor of Healthy Living for Cooking Light magazine. That mainly involves rewriting what others have written to fall more in line with our tone. I’ll have a new column for 2011—fun essays in 1st person. Looking forward to the challenge! What are the achievements you feel most proud of? Finding something I love to do so close to home. Sometimes I regret not setting out for Manhattan after graduation, but there’s nowhere I’d rather live than Alabama. The fact that I can use my English degree doing what I love is a blessing.
I want to be part of the formula for success and give to the University of Montevallo English Department!
Name
Street address
Home phone
Enclosed is my gift of $25 $50
City
$100 Other:
3-digit (4-digit for
Name on Card
State
ZIP
Graduation year
My check made payable to the UM Foundation is enclosed.
Card #: ________________________________ AMEX) security code:
Cell phone
Designate my gift to: Greatest need Restricted to: English Department
Please charge my MasterCard, VISA, Discover, or AMEX (circle one).
Exp. Date Signature
7