Elisabeth Lepchitz

Elisabeth Lepchitz

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Between reading texts, teaching analysis, guiding discussions, and teaching the next generation the importance of literature, I am only able to do my work with the knowledge and skills I learned through earning my English degrees.

Name:

Elisabeth (Rupp) Lepchitz

MSU Degrees:

MA in English, 2017

Any other degrees:

BA in English, University of Mississippi, 2011

MFA in Creative Writing, Florida State University, 2019

Favorite memories of being an undergraduate English major:

I was not an undergraduate at MSU, but I loved working with my thesis committee and the conversations my cohort would have in our seminar classes.

Current Position:

English Language Arts Teacher, 11th Grade

Organization:

Carlsbad High School

 

When you graduated with a degree in English from MSU, what were your plans for your future? Has your career path mostly realized those early plans, or have you discovered new plans and goals along the way?

My plans when I graduated from MSU included earning my MFA and working in academia while publishing my creative work. My career has taken multiple turns in the years since I graduated from MSU, but the core is the same. I had a stint working with technical writing as a Senior Proposal Manager at an engineering firm, I have served as a Visiting Faculty member at FSU, an Instructor at the University of Alabama, and I was an Adjunct Professor at Florida Polytechnic University and Polk State College.

 

What is your current occupation, and what does your work mostly consist of?

My current position is an ELA (English Language Arts) teacher at Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, New Mexico. My work consists of teaching literature, critical thinking, and analysis. My students demonstrate their skills through traditional assessments and creative projects.

 

Which skills that you learned as an English major do you use most in your job?

I apply most of my English major skills daily. Between reading texts, teaching analysis, guiding discussions, and teaching the next generation the importance of literature, I am only able to do my work with the knowledge and skills I learned through earning my English degrees.

 

What additional skills did you need to learn in order to do your job, and how did you learn them?

I needed to learn how to teach and utilize different pedagogical approaches. I learned these at MSU and FSU through my graduate programs in addition to professional development trainings offered through my current employer, Carlsbad Municipal Schools.

 

Are there common misconceptions about your career field, which current English majors might share, that you have learned the truth about?

A common misconception about my field is that you have to have an education degree to be a teacher.

 

In what ways does your career enrich your life and help you to achieve your personal as well as your professional goals?

I love watching my students learn and grow. Having the time during the summers as well to continue working toward my publications also helps with allowing me to explore all aspects of my degree and chosen career paths.

 

What advice do you have for undergraduate English majors right now who might want to follow the career path you did?

Keep going; the Master’s program is rigorous and exhausting, but it is absolutely worthwhile.

 

[Updated March 2025]