Future SMU grad students, meet an SMU PhD graduate đź‘‹
Kelsey Kiser shares her journey from an unsure PhD candidate to a confident research fellow to a published writer, ultimately pivoting to an accomplished career in finance!
Imagine how your SMU graduate story will take shape as you follow Kelsey's journey.
1. Share a little about yourself. What initially got you interested in English as a field of study?
I’m from Portland, Oregon and I did my undergraduate study in English at the University of Portland, a small liberal arts university. I initially became interested in English very early on in my undergraduate career, as my university stressed literature’s ability to create social impact by representing a variety of human experiences in the world, and its ability to create empathetic connections. This felt important to me.
2. Did you encounter any hesitations, obstacles or fears about pursuing a PhD in English?
As a first-generation college student without any family support, I had a fear of pursuing a PhD in English because six more years for an advanced degree could be very costly and I wasn’t sure how I would afford it. I ultimately settled on SMU because of the significant funding their English PhDs receive–not paying for tuition, health insurance, technology, and having my living expenses covered by the stipend was the first time in my life where I did not have to seek employment in addition to my studies, and it allowed me to concentrate on my scholarship and produce deeper work in a way that was invaluable to me and my career. It was truly a gift.
3. Why did you choose the English PhD program at SMU?
While the funding was a significant factor in why I chose SMU, another deciding factor was the faculty. I knew I wanted to focus on race in American literature, particularly African-American literature, and the expertise of the faculty when I entered graduate school matched my interests. The English department has excellent training in critical race theory and cultural studies. Moreover, the close connections of working with faculty on a 1:1 basis allowed me to gain many skills and grow as a scholar.
4. What resources do you feel set SMU apart from other English PhD programs?
The English PhD supports students unlike any other program I’ve ever encountered. While in graduate school, I was able to build a robust CV that was competitive on the job market because of the conference funding and article writing workshops in Taos, New Mexico at SMU’s satellite campus. I entered the job market with over a dozen national conferences on my CV, several articles that came out of those writing workshops, and significant teaching experience. This sets SMU students apart from other candidates on the job market.
5. Tell about some of the research you’ve done over the course of your years of study.
I received a fellowship to the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The fellowship allowed me to complete my dissertation, which focuses on how Black writers’ novels, poetry, and plays were affected by FBI surveillance over their lives and works. The fellowship allowed a nuanced and archival approach to the research that revealed new findings and narratives of surveillance to surface, and because of this, my manuscript is now under contract with an academic press.
6. What are your career dreams or plans?
My career dream plans were changed due to COVID. The one thing I can say is that the skills you gain from the English PhD—writing, analysis, communication, thematic identification, teaching, public speaking—can be used in a wide variety of careers. I have accepted positions in the financial sector and also doing communications in higher education. The PhD provides you with many transferable skills.
7. Why do you think English is an important and valuable field to study?
English is a valuable field because the deep understanding of cultural production can help people to imagine possible political potentials for the future–and this is how social change begins.
8. Is there any advice or wisdom you would pass along to a prospective student
While I have chosen a career path outside of the professoriate, I still believe that gaining my English PhD was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Some of my closest friends have come from the program, and it granted me the time to develop as an intellectual thinker that is valuable in many spaces in my life.
