The WRL GSA invites you to join us for our upcoming professional development event, Navigating the WRL Job Market, on Friday, October 30, from 1:00–2:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Whether you are just beginning the WRL program, preparing to enter the job market, or starting to think about what comes after graduate school, this event will offer practical insight into the range of career paths available to WRL graduates and what navigating the current job market can look like.

Program Details

Our main speaker, Dr. Mark Hannah, will open the event with an overview of the current job market. He will discuss what it means to enter the market today, what candidates should prepare for, what hiring committees may be looking for, career paths available to WRL graduates, and ways candidates can stand out. He will also offer advice for students earlier in the program about strategically building their experience and portfolios with the job market in mind.

Following Dr. Hannah’s talk, we’ll hear from an alumni panel representing a range of institutions and academic career paths:

• Community College: Alex Arreguin — Mesa Community College

• Teaching Professor: Amber Hedquist — Carnegie Mellon University

• R1 Tenure-Track: Heidi Willers, Assistant Professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric — Utah State University

• R1 Tenure-Track: Kristin Bennett, Assistant Professor of Technical and Scientific Writing — University of Oklahoma

• R2 Tenure-Track: Melika Nouri, Assistant Professor of Technical Writing — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

• Master’s Large/Medium Institution: Christina Santana, Assistant Professor of English — Worcester State University

Each panelist will briefly discuss their career trajectory, experience entering the job market, lessons learned, what they see institutions and departments looking for, and practical advice for graduate students preparing for different career paths.

We’ll conclude with an open Q&A. Attendees are encouraged to leave questions in the Zoom chat throughout the event for our speaker and panelists to address during the discussion.

Navigating the WRL Job Market
Friday, October 30, 2026 | 1:00–2:30 p.m.
Join us via Zoom

We hope you’ll join us for an opportunity to learn from WRL faculty and alumni, hear perspectives from across different types of institutions, and get practical advice for preparing for the job market at any stage of the program.

WRL Launch Event