Anna D’Orazio is a May 2020 graduate of Shippensburg University’s English, Literary Studies, B.A. program. She also completed the Technical/Professional Communications Minor.
D’Orazio came to Ship from Spring-Ford High School and felt a strong connection to the English Department right away.
“The English Department here showed a true initiative to get to know me and were welcoming me in before I even confirmed my application,” D’Orazio said. “None of the other universities I applied to did that, and it showed me that this department would be so much more than just a department — it would be like a family and my home away from home.”
At her home away from home, D’Orazio stayed busy during what she called the best years of her life. She held multiple leadership positions at Ship, serving as the editor-in-chief of The Reflector and as vice president of Sigma Tau Delta. Her other involvements included serving as a student editor for Write the Ship, holding a writing tutor position and copy editing for Shippensburg University Magazine.
As a recipient of a summer undergraduate research experience grant with Dr. Jordan Windholz, D’Orazio had the unique opportunity to conduct her own primary and secondary source research. She was able to write and compile a book on William Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Much Ado About Nothing.” The book is cataloged at Bosler Memorial Library in Carlisle.
“There is a lot of wiggle room to plan your degree to fit around the career path you want to pursue,” D’Orazio said.
Following graduation, that path for D’Orazio meant starting her master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati where she was offered a fully funded tuition fellowship and a TA position.
Read more stories from the Class of 2020.
