Elizabeth Chesak (elizabeth-chesak@uiowa.edu) is a junior double majoring in English & creative writing and journalism. She writes for the UI chapter of Her Campus and volunteers with the Iowa Writers' House. She is particularly interested in studying newer genres of literature such as graphic novels and YA fiction, although her interests also include books that deal with feminism, race, and LGBT issues.
Undergraduate Ambassadors
Student Ambassadors meet with prospective students interested in pursuing English as a degree, and they also help the department with prospective student outreach events. Our current Student Ambassadors thrive both within the English Department and the community, and they are here as a resource for anyone who wants to learn about their experiences as English students at the University of Iowa. If you are seeking insider-English-major information, they are the ones to ask!
To find out more information or schedule a visit with a Student Ambassador, contact Kate Torno at kate-torno@uiowa.edu. To apply to be an ambassador, please fill out this form and put in Kate's mailbox in 310 or deliver to her via email. Application
Elizabeth Chesak
Harrison Cook
Harrison Cook (Harrison-Cook@uiowa.edu) is a senior majoring in English and Creative Writing, Minor(s): Sociology and Theater and is pursuing courses in Literary Publishing. He currently serves as the Co-Managing Editor for Ink Lit Mag and the Drama Editor and now the Editor-in-Chief for Earthwords: The Undergraduate Literary Review. He loves reading (obviously), writing (obviously), publishing (obviously), and helping advocate for the humanities.
Ian Diedrich
Ian Diedrich (Ian-diedrich@uiowa.edu) is a senior English and Creative writing major. He writes creative non-fiction as well as fantasy short stories. Ian works at the Writers' Workshop and is currently doing research with Barbara Eckstein and Loren Glass. He is particularly interested in American Literature with a focus on minority groups such as Native and Mexican Americans and the role they play on the American canon. He has plans to attain his PhD after graduating in the spring of 2018.
Colleen Durkin
Colleen Durkin (Colleen-durkin@uiowa.edu) is a senior studying English and Creative Writing and Communication Studies. She is from Downers Grove, a suburb located about 30 minutes outside of Chicago. On campus, Colleen is involved in her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, as well as Dance Marathon. In those organizations, Colleen served as Executive Vice President of Alpha Delta Pi and as a Morale Captain Assistant for Dance Marathon 23. In her spare time, Colleen can be seen consuming coffee at local shops, searching for new books to read, and running throughout Iowa City.
Austin Hughes
Austin Hughes (Austin-Hughes@uiowa.edu) is currently is a junior double majoring in English (Creative Writing) and Japanese with a minor in Theatre Arts. He is from good ole Arlington, Texas but loves Iowa City a bit more! He serves as a co-president of the English Department's English Society and an associate peer leader of the Iowa Edge Program--a summer bridge program for incoming students of underrepresented communities. He is the winner of the 2017 David Hamilton Undergraduate Creative Writing Prize. After undergraduate study, Austin hopes to pursue an MA in Japanese and a PhD in English Literature with an MFA in Creative Writing somewhere along the way.
Hannah Gellman
Hannah Gellman (Hannah-Gellman@uiowa.edu) is an English and Creative Writing major from League City, Texas. Hannah plays the mellophone in the Hawkeye Marching Band and has played the French horn in the university Concert Band. She is also a member of the University Lecture Committee, where she has helped bring people such as Lois Lowry, Ana Navarro, and Leslie Odom, Jr. to speak on campus. Through the English Department’s Publishing track, Hannah has both edited and designed a chapbook for the inaugural Iowa Chapbook Prize and helped put together Circuitry, a one volume student-run literary magazine. She has had her own work published in the campus literary magazines Ink Lit Mag and earthwords: the undergraduate literary review. Hannah is also earning a Minor in Arabic and will be studying abroad in Morocco during the Spring 2018 semester.
Erin McInerny
Erin McInerny (erin-mcinerny@uiowa.edu) is a senior English Major in the Creative Writing Track. She is also earning an Art Minor, as well as the Writing Certificate with a focus in publishing. Erin is currently Vice President of the Nightingale Writers’ Group, one of the primary undergraduate writing clubs at the University of Iowa. This semester she is also interning for Little Village’s annual Bread and Butter Magazine, and will be interning for Ice Cube Press this summer in North Liberty. She also went to Dublin last summer with the Irish Writing Program, if you want to know anything about that.
Girindra Selleck
Girindra Selleck (girindra-selleck@uiowa.edu) is currently a senior English major and honors student at the University, with minors in French and Philosophy. In addition to his studies, Girindra works both as the arts and culture editor at the Daily Iowan, the community's oldest and largest student-run publication, and as an Honors Writing Fellow for the University. During his free time, Girindra enjoys watching independent film and reading critical theory with his cat, Tonx. After graduation from the University of Iowa in 2018, Girindra plans to pursue a career in law.