Featured Students & Alumni

Amily Colon received a BA in English from Central in 2019 and is currently in pursuing the Literary Studies Track at Central. She has experience working as a writing tutor and mental health hotline operator. Currently she is the graduate intern for the Student Affairs office at Central, where she supervises Maria's Place, the campus food pantry, and assists college students who are in need of support. Her research focuses on matters of race, identity formation, and class disparity in Latine literature. During her free time, she enjoys watching films and going on long hikes. 

Sydney Lauer is a first-year student in the Central English MA program. Earlier in 2023 she graduated with a B.A. in Secondary Education and English from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. At Central, Sydney works in the Writing Center as a Graduate Assistant, and in the past she has worked as a substitute teacher at her old high school in Naugatuck. As an avid reader, some of Sydney’s favorite books include Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, and Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. In her research, she hopes to find and connect issues presented in certain nineteenth century British texts by female authors to popular texts written today.

Hello, my name is Griffin Pickett. I began my journey through college at Bryant University before transferring to Connecticut State Community College, where I finished an associate degree and came to Central Connecticut. As a student in Central’s Accelerate Program in English I have been able to progress my education and passion for English amongst a group of likeminded peers and educators. The program is perfect for anyone who wishes to cultivate and solidify their understanding and proficiency of the English language, and the wonderful network of people therein cannot be understated! I plan to write my thesis on my favorite movement in literature — postmodernism — focusing closely on some of my top authors, like David Foster Wallace.

Timothy Gaipa graduated with an M.A. in 2021. Currently, Tim teaches Literacy at Wallace Middle School in Waterbury. He completed the requirements for his secondary teaching certification at Central in 2014, where he also published his poetry in The Helix Literary Magazine. In 2010, he graduated the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in English. He lives in Watertown with his wife, Julia, a preschool teacher, and his cat, Izzy, a handful.

Marion Jainchill graduated with her M.A. in English from Central in Spring 2023. Marion currently teaches American Literature and World Literature courses at Cromwell High School. She completed her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education: English at Central as well. During her final semester at Central, Marion completed a capstone project titled "'I Saw and Heard of None Like Me': Monstrosity as Methodology for Discussing Difference in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" under the expertise and guidance of Dr. Eric Leonidas. Marion's pedagogy is heavily informed by the skills she developed while attending courses at Central. 

Katherine Wicander graduated with a M.A. in English from Central in the spring of 2022. Katherine is currently teaching both American Literature and AP Literature and Composition at Middletown High School, and she has just started her fifth year in the field. She received a B.A.S. in Secondary Education and English Literature from Salve Regina University in 2019. During her final semester of her Masters program at Central, Katherine completed her Capstone project based on her experience teaching American Literature, “Teaching The Things They Carried: An Exploration of Historical Trauma and Personal Acceptance through Metafiction,” under the guidance of Dr. Aimee Pozorski. Her project reflects her focus to assist students in navigating potentially emotionally challenging text through trauma-informed pedagogy. She lives in Middlefield with her partner, Doug, and cats, Cheddar and Mowgli.