Jordan Traut '20 & '22, English Alum Spotlight

Jordan At A Glance

Education

  • M.A. English with a writing certificate, 2022 (Millersville University)
  • B.A. English, 2020 (Millersville University)
  • B.A. Anthropology, 2020 (Millersville University)

On-Campus Achievements 

  • Coordinated the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Red Dress Exhibit displayed in McComsey Hall & hosted the University Reception on May 5th, 2022.
  • Developed and led a musical and museum program in Oklahoma City for the world premiere of Distant Thunder, an All-Native Musical for English graduate students in Spring 2022. 
  • Recipient of the Richard Cecil Todd and Clauda Pennock Todd Graduate Fellowship Award. 
  • First recipient of the AHSS College Fellowship & McCollough AHSS Summer Research scholarship. 
  • First English major to receive a MUSE (Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience) grant for her scholarship on Native American language and oral literature. 

International Education

  • MAPS: Music of Ancient World Cultures in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, Summer 2022
  • Asian Culture Studies program at Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata Japan, Fall 2019
  • Central European Studies program at Jagiellonian University, Krakow Poland, Summer 2019

Career Highlights

  • Graduate Assistant in English
  • Student Life and Education Coordinator at Allegheny College in Meadville Pennsylvania 

Read more about Jordan's interdisciplinary take on education and learn about how she says the English and World Languages Department helped her develop diverse coursework focused on her research goals and love of travel. 

“Contact with these people and places is something that cannot be found in just any classroom. ”

- Jordan Traut | B.A. '20 and M.A. '22

International Education

Q: What made you add an entire second degree in Anthropology to complement your English degree in undergrad at Millersville?

A: "I always knew I was going to be an English major. Picking the right college was more difficult, for me, than picking the right major (and I am extremely grateful I picked Millersville, of course)! This is because the best way, in my opinion, for humans to record and explore our condition is through storytelling and literature."

"However, I felt like I was missing something with only English classes on my roster. I wanted to blend in the human culture aspect with the literature being taught in the department, so I decided to study Anthropology and take any international opportunity available to me. Beyond the implications of a  degree, studying abroad impacted my professional goals by preparing me for a career focused on cross-cultural relationships. Experiencing different cultures first-hand opened me up to an array of unique perspectives and expanded my personal capacity to embrace differences." 

“You would be surprised how much people are willing to do for you if you just ask them for help. Want to do an independent study on your favorite tv series? Ask a professor. Want to study an exhibit at an international museum? Ask Sponsored Programs for help writing a grant. College is the best time to try everything, with support from the department and funding from the university. ”

- Jordan Traut | B.A. '20 and M.A. '22

Higher Education For Life

Q: You are currently working as the Student Life & Education Coordinator at Allegheny College near Pittsburgh, PA. What made you want to continue working in higher education?

A: "I never want to leave the college campus environment! There are so many people doing cool independent projects and it is easy to find a group of people - faculty, staff, and students - to rally around your new initiatives and ideas! I want to be that for student, but I also want to continue living in that type of space for myself and my own interests."

"My special projects this year include designing a study abroad, which I will led, to teach student leaders on campus how to live and work harmoniously with diverse populations of people with varying life values, philosophies, goals, perspectives, etc. I am also working closely with our IDEAs Center to plan a celebration of our First Americans on Indigenous Peoples Day." 

Staff & Faculty Shout Outs

"I would love to give a shout out to three extremely intelligent and gracefully powerful women on Millersville's campus who have changed my life: Dr. Katarzyna Jakubiak in English, Ms. Keisha Patterson in Psychology, and Ms. Carolyn Rittenhouse in Social Work. Certainly, I would not be where I am today without them all, both personally and professionally." 

"Carolyn always told me I reminded her of her younger self, so I can only hope to be like her as I continue to grow into my professional career. She is actually the reason I applied for the position I am working now at Allegheny College because she emailed me a link to the job posting." 

"Keisha was my first boss at Millersville and she knew everything that had happened, was currently happening, or would happen in the future on campus. She introduced me to so many resources and was always excited to hear about my latest adventure. She befriended every she worked with, which was always inspiring to me."

"Dr. Jakubiak's courses are some of the most engaging and transcending ones offered at Millersville. What I mean by that is there will be material that stay with you forever, maybe a book that inspires you to completely redesign and diversify an entire unit for your own students or a theory that suddenly makes you understand the world a little bit better. On a personal note, Dr. Jakubiak was always there for me without judgement and with compassion. She cheered for me on my best days and comforted me on my worst days. Even though I am an English major - so words should come easier to me than some - I couldn't ever express to her how meaningful her mentorship is to me." 

"I would encourage every student to engage with the faculty and staff in English and World Languages and across campus. Everyone is there to help you be successful!"