Jennifer L. Brown, Senior English Major and #LourdesStrong Student
Jennifer Brown is an exceptional Lourdes student: a hardworking mother of five, who has persevered in her classes while working to support her family. Jennifer is now a Senior, and has recently presented her own literary research at the well-renowned Interdisciplinary Nineteenth Century Studies Conference, held this March in Philadelphia. Another of her papers that she presented last year at the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference won the award for the Best Undergraduate Student Paper. Jennifer became interested in studying nineteenth-century British fiction after working as a research assistant for Dr. Susan Shelangoskie, who publishes work in the field of Victorian technology, literature, and culture. Dr. Shelangoskie, who also presented a paper at the conference, said that she was incredibly proud to see Jennifer present her work and discuss it with scholars in the field at this prestigious event.
Jennifer started in the AA program, however as she discovered her own talent and enthusiasm for English studies, she switched her major to a BA in English. Working full-time as a paralegal at Maloney McHugh & Kolodgy, Ltd. in Lambertville, MI, caring for her family, and taking classes to complete a degree is a daunting combination of tasks, but Jennifer has excelled. She has repeatedly qualified for Dean’s list at Lourdes; she ran for and was elected as the President of the Literati Student Organization, and was inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor society in recognition of her outstanding abilities.
When interviewed for this blog post, Jennifer praised her experience at Lourdes, “The fact that I am still striving toward my degree is due, in large part, to the incredible support I have received from the Lourdes English Department. Dr. Shelangoskie has mentored me and provided guidance and encouragement at every difficult step. The opportunities that Lourdes has afforded to me as a non-traditional student is indicative of the Franciscan spirit and the learning that extends beyond the classroom.”
Lourdes University is tremendously proud of Jennifer, and looks forward to seeing the success that is surely in her future. She intends to take the LSAT this summer and apply to law school in pursuit of her interest in defense litigation.