ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Sarah Becker, '10

Associate Editor for Custom Projects, Macmillan Publishers

As a graduate of Moravian's class of 2010, I credit my studies in the English department and my involvement in Greek life to my current job success. Immediately upon graduating, I moved to New York City in the hopes of pursuing a job, life experience, anything to avoid moving back in with the rents. Due to the recession, I knew that the reality of gaining employment in a field where I could make use of my English degree was very unlikely. So, I did whatever any crafty English major would do - I got two jobs as a waitress to afford the rent of my overpriced, tiny East Village apartment. In the meantime, I applied to jobs constantly and reached out to my network from Moravian. When one of my sorority sisters found out that I was living in New York trying to pursue a job in publishing, she put me in touch with her brother who worked for Macmillan Publishers. He was very helpful in notifying me of available jobs within the company and confirmed that my education and internships made me an ideal candidate. A few months and several interviews later, I was employed part time as a freelancer with the Bedford, Freeman, and Worth Publishing Group. It wasn't exactly where I wanted to be, but it was a start. I kept my serving jobs and worked A LOT, but after three months, I applied for a job as an Editorial Assistant for the Custom Publishing group and got it. It was a huge relief to finally be employed full time with benefits in a relevant job that had a solid career path. I've been with the Custom team ever since and am now an Associate Editor. Not being afraid to take chances, work hard, and network, helped me a great deal in getting to where I am today.