We Are Knox...

Tasha Coryell has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship,
which will enable her to teach English for a year in Austria. Coryell,
who has minors in German and gender and women's studies, is
well-traveled. She studied in Florence, Italy, and was part of a group that journeyed to Wales in conjunction with a Knox College course on famed Welsh writer Dylan Thomas.

What appealed to you about the Fulbright Fellowship, and why did you apply for one?
I decided junior year that I wanted to teach English in a German-speaking country after I graduated. I told this to the German professors. Todd Heidt, the newest German professor, also did a Fulbright in Austria, and he recommended the program. So I checked it out, and it seemed like something that would be a good fit for me because I would be able to improve my German as well as have time to travel to other places in Europe. I really like St. Paul, Minnesota, where I'm from, and sometimes I worry that I'll get stuck there for the rest of my life because I like it so much. I want to leave and travel while I can.

How do you plan to prepare for the Fulbright experience? Are you nervous?
I am ridiculously nervous to travel to a foreign country where they speak a language I am not fluent in. I think that part of my nervousness is excitement, though. Since I studied abroad in Italy, I know that I can successfully live in a foreign country, so I know that once I get there I'll be fine. I think it's just the anticipation that makes me nervous. This summer, I am going to try to refresh my German skills. It's been awhile since I've been in a German class, and so I've forgotten a lot of things. I want to be as good at German as possible before I leave, so I can be confident once I get there.

Why did you choose to attend Knox College?
I went to an arts high school for creative writing, and I asked my teachers for recommendations as to where to go. They said they had a lot of students attend Knox College for the creative writing program, and they liked it a lot. The main thing I was looking for in a school was a program that would let me write a lot, and Knox College has enabled me to do that.

How did you decide what to study?
I've known I wanted to study creative writing since I was eight years old. I even remember the exact moment that I made that decision. I was standing in my third-grade classroom, waiting for my teacher to look at a story I wrote, and I knew then that I wanted to write. Studying German and gender and women's studies was a surprise, though. I've always been interested in feminism and other women's issues, and I read a lot of women's literature. I took the intro class to the program and liked it so much I decided to minor. A lot of that minor has been studying literature from other cultures. I originally took German to fulfill the language requirement. I started in German 101 my sophomore year. I had never taken German before that, but had always been interested in it. I really liked learning the language and liked the professors and my peers in the German department. Sonja Klocke, the German professor, encouraged me to continue on, and that's when I decided to minor. It's been a good experience. I've made a lot of friends through the German department. I served as German Club president this year, which I've enjoyed a lot.

What are a few of the best experiences -- in and out of the classroom -- you've had while at Knox?
I've had a lot of good experiences while at Knox. I really like English department events. I try to go to all the Caxton Clubs and the Writer's Forums. I think people who don't go are missing out; it has made me feel a lot more connected to the other writers on campus. I also try to go to Off-Knox every term. Going to Wales over spring break this year was also really amazing. It was like a really good vacation where we spend a lot of time talking about poetry, which is one of my favorite things to do. I've also had a great time in Alpha Sigma Alpha and German Club. I had no intentions of joining a sorority. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I've made a lot of close friendships with other girls in the organization, and it's provided me with a lot of good opportunities. Same with German Club. I've made friends with a lot of people I might not know otherwise.

After you graduate from Knox and complete the Fulbright Fellowship, what do you think you would like to do professionally?
I know that I want to go to graduate school and get an MFA in creative writing. That's all that I know. I don't know where I want to go to graduate school or whether I want a degree in poetry or fiction. I love poetry more, but fiction seems to have more (though still few) opportunities. I think I would enjoy working on either the teaching or editing side of the writing world. As long as I am involved with writing, that's all that I care about.