Alumni at Work

Chris Lu, '17

Chris Lu (who formerly went by Saul McGuire) had much success in his senior year. He thrived academically and served as a representative for the English Department, all while working towards a larger goal—to become a librarian in Seattle. For Chris, completing his English Literature degree has been a big step towards reaching this goal.

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David Strand, '15

David Strand graduated in 2015, double majoring in Creative Writing and Visual Art. David plunged into his career immediately following his degree, as he started working full time at Seattle’s Frye Art Museum, during finals week of his senior year. Initially hired as a Curatorial Assistant, he was tasked with project managing the museum’s largest exhibition to date, Genius / 21 Century / Seattle, a celebration of exceptional multidisciplinary and collaborative artistic practice in Seattle, which featured over 65 artists.

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Carlito Umali, '08

Carlito Umali graduated with his BA in English Literature in 2008. Today, five years into his teaching career, he is a middle school teacher at Renton School District’s Risdon Middle School, where his curriculum focuses on 21st century skills, STEM integration, and project-based learning.

He credits his various English faculty mentors for helping him to discern his career goals. Post-graduation, he worked for Seattle Central College, and Seattle University’s Center for Service and Community Engagement. These two experiences confirmed his passion for teaching, and from there he completed SU’s Master in Teaching program.

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Michelle DeLappe, '98

English Department alumna Michelle DeLappe graduated from Seattle University while studying abroad in France in 1998. The SU Honors Program inspired Michelle to switch from a pre-med major to English, as she simply loved her literature classes. She landed her first, post-graduation job in a bakery in the Alps, as part of a work exchange program.

On her way to France for her study abroad term, Michelle stopped in Washington, D.C. for an MLA conference. At the time, she intended to pursue graduate studies in literature to eventually become a professor – though listening to presentations at the conference about the state of the profession at the time led her to reconsider her plan.

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Tim Talevich, '78

He oversees the editorial content of a print magazine for more than 13 million subscribers on four continents, an online version, an app, and an annual cookbook run of three million. For The Costco Connection editorial director Tim Talevich '78, each day brings a new challenge.

“When I come to work, I have a plan,” Talevich said from Costco headquarters in Issaquah, WA, “but part of the plan is unplanned.” 

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