Janet Rothwell

B.A. Honours English ’04

In Janet’s own words…

It was a bit of a winding road after graduation! Odd jobs. A magazine store. A small communications firm. Some crying and unemployment along the way. Then eventually some government work. Lot of learning on the job. And it all paid off. I’m now very happy in my job as Speechwriter and Senior Communications Advisor for the Canadian Human Rights Commission. I’m still using skills I learned during my time at Carleton every day. I remember Professor Beecher told our first-year class on our very first day, “If we’ve done our job, then by the end of your B.A. in English you will have learned two things: how to write and how to reason”.

I never forgot that.
Talk about life skills!

Majoring in English turned out to be one of the Top 5 Best Decisions of my life, and I rarely meet anyone who says different.

Cheers to my fellow alumni!

How has your Carleton English degree informed your professional and/or creative path?

Majoring in English was one of the BEST decisions of my life. I can trace so many of my career building blocks back to my English degree. Attaining an English Lit degree prepares us well for our careers. It is hard work! It trains us to be able to read anything, to write anything, to make a compelling argument and to juggle multiple deadlines. These are all skills Canadian employers are looking for. I remember Professor Beecher told my first-year class on our very first day: “If we’ve done our job, then by the end of your B.A. in English you will have learned two things: how to write and how to reason. Both of them will serve you well.” He was right!

Why Carleton? What specific experiences or opportunities did you benefit from while studying English at Carleton?

I loved being a student at Carleton. The caliber of professors is world-class, and the learning environment feels just like home. From the gorgeous facilities, to the surrounding water-ways — Carleton looks like what university is supposed to look like! It makes for a paradise for pensive readers like we English Lit students, and it is the warmest environment in which to learn and thrive.