Shaunna Ballard
B.A. in English, Washington & Jefferson College
Email: sballard@andrew.cmu.edu
Chenxue Bo
B.A. in English, Beihang University
Email: cdbo@andrew.cmu.edu
It seems to be impossible to not put one’s heart at work if he wants to be called an awesome MAPW student at Carnegie Mellon University. While I give my heart to accomplish the coursework, my heart leads me to pursue a career of technical writing. When I do technical writing, the first word appearing in my mind is always “audience.” As a writer, I write for the audience, understand them, and satisfy them. However, audience is not the only one being satisfied: I am being satisfied too. Working on something I am good at and learning the new things I will be good at not only satisfy me but they thrill me. I guess that is one of many prerogatives of technical writers I refuse to waive.
Amanda Cardo
B.A. in English Writing and Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh
Email: acardo@andrew.cmu.edu
Amanda Cardo is a Pennsylvania native who has been in Pittsburgh for six years. She attended Pitt as an undergrad, majoring in Fiction Writing and Philosophy, then worked at a publishing house for a year before applying to the MAPW program. During her first semester, she became interested in user experience design and information architecture. She will be interning with PointSource LLC, a mobile software developer in North Carolina, for the summer. Upon graduation, she plans on pursuing a career in user experience design for the mobile realm. She loves cycling, beer, and participates in any and every charity event that involves both.
Emily Dydo
B.A. in English, Xavier University
Email: edydo@andrew.cmu.edu
Emily graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio in May of 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Psychology. While at Xavier, she worked as a tutor in the writing center and as a copy editor for the Xavier Newswire. At Carnegie Mellon, she is focusing on technical writing and marketing/corporate communications. She is an avid runner, kick boxer, and gym visitor. She also enjoys reading, classical music, and venturing to new restaurants.Rachel Friedrick
B.A. in English and Women's and Gender Studies, Case Western Reserve University
Rachel is a second semester MAPW student specializing in healthcare communications and medical writing. Her communications initiative is to write engaging prose for audiences using stylistically clear plain language. The medical field is paramount to this initiative because all healthcare communication aims to identify, inform, persuade, and teach in order to understand, address, and treat people’s needs. Rachel looks forward to beginning her career with a company or non-profit that is committed to patient-centered care, advocacy, education, and innovation. In her spare time, she enjoys reading armchair travel books, testing out new dessert recipes, and immersing herself in all things French.Cristy Gelling
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, B.S. in Genetics, University of New South Wales
Email: cgelling@cmu.edu
Cristy is a science communicator and a Ph.D. biologist. When she's not debating the properties of adverbial complements in rhetorical grammar class, she enjoys writing microfiction and curating the torrent of science blogs at ScienceSeeker.org.David Golebiewski
B.A. in Journalism and Multimedia Arts, Duquesne University
Email: dgolebie@andrew.cmu.edu
I am pursuing a career in public relations and corporate communications, combining my storytelling skills crafted as a sports and features writer with my experience as a media relations assistant at Carnegie Mellon. This past year, I freelanced for publications including The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pop City, The Pittsburgh Sports Report and PublicSource. A true "seamhead," I have covered the Pirates for the Pittsburgh Sports Report (beat writer in 2011) and the Tribune-Review (columnist/reporter in 2012).
Aside from sports, my two great loves are classic rock (Beatles, Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd) and sci-fi (Stephen King and George R.R. Martin, especially). If the whole writing thing doesn’t work out, I plan on pursuing my childhood career plan: Become Batman.
Stephanie Guerdan
B.A. in Japanese Studies, Carnegie Mellon University
Email: sguerdan@andrew.cmu.edu
Stephanie Guerdan is a 4+1 MAPW hoping to go into editing and publishing. Outside of class, she enjoys sewing, reading comic books, and watching sci-fi television.Jeanette Lee
B.A. in English, Wellesley College
Email: jeanett2@andrew.cmu.edu
Additional Information:
MLitt in Investigative Journalism
Matthew Liner
B.A. in English, University of West Georgia
My current interests include writing for new/social media, magazine writing, and editing/publishing. I spend all my free time:1) trying to decide which of the aforementioned topics should be my main focus
2) trying to get through The Brothers Karamazov, which I started just before my time at CMU and instead spending all of this allotted time on Tumblr and reading "Best Essays" collections
3) Going to assorted cultural events around the city
4) Thinking about television
All in all, I guess you could say my current interests outside of the program fall into the category of trying to avoid homework.
Lindsay Briar Madison
B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies, UC Berkeley
Lindsay is interested in plain language and usability. She works part-time as a journalist in CMU's Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, and in the summer of 2013 she will be trying her hand at technical writing in an internship with Schilling Robotics FMC Technologies. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in corporate communication. In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys kickboxing, cooking, and pompously scoffing at typos in public documents.
Stacy McAuliffe
B.A. in English Writing and Art History, University of Pittsburgh
Email: smcaulif@andrew.cmu.edu
Joe Monte
B.A. in English Rhetoric and Global Culture, Binghamton University
Email: jmonte@andrew.cmu.edu
Joseph Monte is a graduate of Binghamton University. Having majored in English, Rhetoric, and Global Culture and managed public relations and station operations at Binghamton's college radio, WHRW 90.5FM, he decided to pursue a graduate program for professional writing, which he considers the perfect path for the English major of the 21st century.
He can now be heard on the air at CMU's radio, WRCT 88.3FM. He also works as a graduate teaching assistant for Dr. David Kaufer's Rhetorical Grammar Course. Joe's plans for after graduation are varied. His general fields of interest are PR and internal communications, but he would hope to specifically have a career in PR and management/organization consultation for restaurants, ideally in NYC. However, he is also keeping his eye out for any radio or media related opportunities.
Eric Morris
B.A. in English, Frostburg State University
Email: eamorris@andrew.cmu.edu
In addition to being an MAPW, Eric is also enrolled in the investigative journalism program. He'll graduate in spring 2014 with both a Master of Arts in Professional Writing degree and a Master of Letters in Investigative Journalism degree. After graduation Eris hopes to get a job at a newspaper or magazine, with a long-term goal of working for a major metropolitan newspaper or prominent magazine.
Robin Reidl
B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Western Oregon University
Email: rreidl@andrew.cmu.edu
Robin's MAPW focus areas are technical writing and global communications. Her pre-CMU life was a dust-filled journey from vacuuming polar bears at an Arctic museum to hunting down missing Horn III sheet music at a symphony orchestra. When she's not in the MAPW computer cluster, Robin can usually be found at the pool, exploring Pittsburgh, or doing a crossword puzzle in Schenley Park.Bekah Richards
B.A. in English, Creative Writing, and International and Global Studies, Brandeis University
Email: rlrichar@andrew.cmu.edu
I am interested in healthcare communication and, more broadly, environmental health. My nonacademic interests include reading, cake decorating, digital art and travel.David Rios
B.A. in English, University of California, Riverside
Email: drios@andrew.cmu.edu
After graduating with a degree in English from UC Riverside, David worked in varied industries as a copy editor, translator, and project manager. He plans to pursue writing and editing opportunities in the fields of technical communication and public policy. His interests include technology, design, politics, and travel.Ben Shedlock
B.A. in Political Science, Drew University
Email: bshedloc@andrew.cmu.edu
Kathryn Sterling-Kaasa
B.A. in Creative Writing, University of Arizona
Email: ksterlin@andrew.cmu.edu
Before entering the MAPW program, Kathryn spent several years working as a freelance writer and editor. She is particularly interested in science writing and healthcare communications. She is keeping her options open for post-graduation, and can see herself working either as a science writer or in a healthcare communications position, but she'd also be happy in an editorial position. Kathryn is a writer at heart, and she really enjoys taking complex information and making it accessible to a lay audience.Meryl Sustarsic
B.A. in Nonfiction Writing, University of Pittsburgh
Email: meryls@andrew.cmu.edu
Meryl Sustarsic is an MAPW MS student focusing on gaining experience in layout design and information architecture to broaden her content production skills. She is interested in all types of writing, from journalism to marketing to technical, in new media formats especially. Her current extra-curricular pursuits include the great outdoors and photography.