Keith Karnish, Class of 2008
Writer
“All jobs require clear communication and critical thinking, so the English degree really hones those skills and prepares you for any career.”
Keith Karnish grew up in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, so attending Penn State York made sense for him geographically and academically. He took advantage of the proximity by living at home while earning his four-year degree in English.
Karnish met Noel Sloboda, associate professor of English at Penn State York, during new student orientation and the two immediately identified their mutual proclivity for storytelling.
“Noel and I really connected over our shared interests,” said Karnish. “When I had the chance to take classes with him, I scheduled as many as I could. Penn State York only had one creative writing class at the time, but since Noel understood my interest in writing, we worked up an independent study in poetry, which helped me explore my passion for creative writing.”
Karnish went from focusing on literary analysis during his undergraduate experience to exploring opportunities in film. Career paths aren’t always clear, especially in the arts.
“My interest in creative writing eventually led me to screenwriting and the American Film Institute, which I graduated from a couple of years ago,” Karnish said. “The program was an intensive two years where I had to write original features and TV pilots. I’ve stayed in touch with two faculty members from Penn State York, who actually wrote wonderful statements for my application to the American Film Institute, which ultimately helped me get in.”
“I’m in a unique position in that I use creative writing to make a living,” said Karnish. “The foundations I learned from my undergraduate courses helped me develop skills in understanding art, story, and creative writing, which I still apply to my work today.”
Karnish explained that the soft skills he gained through his involvement in the student literary magazine have proven valuable after graduation.
“I was there during the inception of the campus literary magazine, Any Other Word, so it helped me better establish myself in the literary community on campus,” he said. “Penn State York was really the first place where I learned how to collaborate. I work in an industry that relies on working together. We have to listen to and respect one another’s viewpoints, even if they clash with our own. It was the best lesson I got.”
Relationships with faculty can continue well after a student completes their degree. For Karnish, collaboration with Sloboda never ended.
“Since graduating, Noel and I still talk every few months now. He'll share ideas he's working on with me, and I'll take scripts or run ideas by him for his thoughts.”
Karnish’s short film screenplay titles include, Sleepwalker, In Hot Water, and The Erl King.
Katherine Walton, Class of 2010
Wedding Venue Business Owner
“I consider Penn State York one of the best decisions of my life.”
Katherine Walton’s life has taken several different directions, but one thing seems to always come back: her experience with the English program at Penn State York.
“My experience in the English program has influenced my life in more ways than I ever expected,” she said. “I am shaped by aspects of the program and its professors as a whole.”
Walton graduated in 2010 with a bachelor of arts degree in English alongside her husband Adam, who also graduated that year with the same degree. After graduation, Walton worked at a newspaper company before she realized that she wanted to go back to school to teach. She began her Secondary English certification at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, while teaching full-time. When it came time to start her Level II Certification, she found herself back at Penn State York to acquire the master of education in Teaching and Curriculum degree in 2017.
“The connections I formed with my professors made a huge impact on my decision to become a teacher, as well as the style of teaching that I brought into my own classroom,” Walton said. “I even created a unit for my students called Business Correspondence, which took a lot of inspiration from Dr. Sloboda’s Business English course.”
In 2021, after ten years of teaching high school English, she resigned to run a family business with her husband, Hazelwood Weddings, and stay home with their two-year-old son. Her English background continues to remain relevant in her wedding venue business strategies.
“A huge part of my responsibilities include writing for our social media, marketing our business, and responding to our clients,” Walton said. “Every day, I have to write captions that are engaging and informative for our Instagram posts and videos, and I have to be creative with how I repurpose our content from platform to platform. So much of the wedding world involves telling stories.”
Walton’s experience with the English program at Penn State York taught her just how valuable acquiring an English degree really is.
“This program provides literature that exposes you to diverse perspectives that help learn about other cultures, understand different viewpoints, and develop empathy for groups outside of your own,” she reflected. “Yet it also equips you with so many transferable skills; businesses want employees who are creative thinkers, analytical readers, and strong writers. Someone who thinks critically, possesses research skills, and understands diverse perspectives is a powerful force – that’s what an English degree can give you, especially one from Penn State York!”
