You asked and Ex Libris delivers! Today we are happy to bring you Part 2 of “Meet the New GA’s”. If you missed part one, you can read about Matt, Julia, and Claire here. Please join me in congratulating all seven new GA’s.
Tracey Hulstein
Program & year: MAWP, first year
GA role: UCWbL Productions (formerly Multimedia) Team Leader
Bio: Tracey is originally from Rochester, MN, but somehow ended up living in Iowa for the past seven years. She graduated from Northwestern College in Orange City, IA, double-majoring in Theatre and Writing with a focus in Rhetoric. Tracey spent the past few years developing a fear of retail customers before dabbling in human resources at Pearson Assessments. She and her husband attempted to move to Chicago at the end of May but their moving trailer caught fire and they had to buy a bunch of new stuff. They actually moved to Chicago in June and, after experiencing the five stages of grief, love having a literal fresh start. Tracey has a rather obsessive personality, but her main obsessions are the Beatles and cats. She promises that she’s normal.
Favorite Books: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Chronicles of Narnia, Wishful Drinking
Authors who have inspired Tracey: Anne Lamott, Natalie Goldberg, Carrie Fisher, John Lennon
Favorite reading genre: Biography and memoir
Favorite writing genre: Creative nonfiction
Tracey’s dream job: Getting paid to tell stories (maybe in Japan?)
Mark Jacobs
Program & Year: MAE, first-year
GA role: assistant website and technology coordinator in the UCWbL
Bio: Mark received his BA in International Studies and Creative Writing from DePaul this past June. After moving here from South Bend, IN, four years ago, he’s excited to continue at DePaul in the MAE program. He’s a fan of the Chicago music scene and likes to ride his bike everywhere.
Favorite author: Mark has spent the last year wading his way through all of Don DeLillo’s works, and hasn’t grown bored with him yet.
Mark’s dream job: Marketing strategist for Allende Burritos Tacos y Mas (which, incidentally, Mark wants us all to know, has the best food to be found near campus)
Jennifer Finstrom
Program and Year: MAWP, second year
GA role: Assistant Coordinator for Outreach in the University Center for Writing-based Learning
Bio: Jennifer came to DePaul University as a returning student in the summer of 2008 and received her B.A. in English in 2010. Her poetry has appeared in various literary publications, including Atlanta Review, Rhino, Wisconsin Review, and most recently, Threshold. In addition, she has been the poetry editor of Eclectica Magazine, an online literary quarterly, since October of 2005. Jennifer also enjoys attending writing center conferences and joining in the conversation about peer tutoring theory.
Favorite Authors: Margaret Atwood (both poetry and fiction), J.R.R. Tolkien, the Bronte sisters, George Eliot, Jane Austin.
Books Jen Recommends to Everyone: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Favorite writing genre: Poetry, speculative fiction, creative nonfiction
Maria Hlohowskyj
Program & Year: MAWP, first year
GA Role: Editor of Ex Libris, with a little UCWbL tutoring on the side
Bio: Maria was born to two biologists and grew up in Downers Grove, a mid-sized Chicago suburb which voted the apostrophe out of its name in the late 1800s. Maria graduated from Loyola University Chicago with majors in English and Spanish and a minor in Women’s Studies in 2010 with membership in three honors societies, one of which has a secret handshake. Maria made it for a year working part time as a research assistant/landscape technician and part time in a Downers Grove yarn shop before she realized how much she missed academic life. She is incredibly happy to be once again living in Chicago and studying writing.
Favorite Books: The Sparrow, The Art of Political Murder, Interpreter of Maladies, White Teeth, A Thousand Acres, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, etc., etc.
Author Who Inspires Maria: Rachel Carson
Wait, did you say yarn shop?: Yes! Maria is an avid knitter and crocheter and had taught lots of crochet classes. If you ask nicely she might teach you.
Maria’s Dream Job: Writing about the amazing urban nature in Chicago, and the many wonderful, under-appreciated wild places in Northern Illinois
Fun Fact: Maria is editing this very blog post right this minute! And on that note, I want to wish all my readers a very happy weekend!