Student & Alumni News

November 18, 2025 Callie McNorton

Alumni Spotlight – Ella Yates

Do you remember when WRD alum Ella Yates sang the National Anthem at Wrigley Field earlier this year? We sure do! Not only is she an accomplished singer, she also excelled during her time at DePaul until her recent graduation in June. With a Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse, a minor in Creative Writing, and the William E. Hay Leadership Accelerator Certification, Ella continues to succeed outside of school. Learn more about her time at DePaul and how she applies what she learned in WRD in the real world. Why did you decide to pursue a degree

May 1, 2025 Callie McNorton

Alumni Spotlight – Madeline Crozier

MAWRD alum and current PhD candidate Madeline Crozier started working in DePaul’s Writing Center in 2017 as an undergraduate student and garnered a sense of purpose that she has taken with her throughout her career. During her time at DePaul, she found an understanding of the power of mission-minded work and scholarship. “I found [at the Writing Center] shared values, beliefs, a core understanding of learning, and a sense of shared mission.” Through her current role as the Graduate Assistant Director of the Writing Center at the University of Tennessee (UT), MAWRD alum Madeline Crozier is fulfilling a sense of

February 22, 2024 Leo Swearingen

Student Spotlight — Miranda Kincer and Creating Knowledge

Throughout 2023, WRD student Miranda Kincer worked on and published scholarship in DePaul’s undergraduate journal, Creating Knowledge. Her piece, “Tony Stark as an Icon for Alcoholism and Recovery: How Details in Iron Man #182 Reveal the Detriment of Alcohol Addiction” won out in the competitive landscape of student works, where only one piece is published per university department. Representing WRD, Miranda reflects on her time before, during, and after publication. Read on to hear about Miranda’s experience of publication and gain insights into how and why you might publish work as well. What inspired you to write this piece and

February 20, 2024 Grace Von Lehman

Spotlight on WRD’s Minor in Professional Writing

Students in any major at DePaul can enroll in the WRD department’s Minor in Professional Writing, which can be completed in fully online, in-person, and hybrid formats. This minor offers students opportunities to hone their workplace writing skills through real-world writing tasks that emphasize clear communication, strategic efficiency, and authentic collaboration. Read on to explore how a Minor in Professional Writing may be the perfect complement to your degree! Why minor in Professional Writing? With only two required courses and four electives, the Professional Writing Minor allows you the flexibility to cater the coursework to your interests. While it draws on

February 22, 2023 Grace Von Lehman

Community Engagement in WRD Courses

One of the WRD Department’s goals for students is to prepare them, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, to excel in the range of contexts in which they will go on to write. Practicing writing in a variety of contexts and genres, for a variety of audiences, is a key part of this preparation that is embedded into many WRD courses. Community-engaged WRD courses offer students the opportunity to deepen their learning by engaging with real-world audiences, learning more about their local communities, and producing meaningful writing with tangible impacts. Read on for perspectives from faculty in various roles