English Student Advisory Board Members

Hailey Brundage

She/Her

Hailey is a junior English major with a minor in Art, with a focus in printmaking. She has lived in Lincoln her whole life but loves to travel around the United States during the summer. Her favorite classes have been her creative writing courses (ENG 252 and ENG 352) which have been very helpful in preparing her for her dreams of becoming an author in the future. She also hopes that with the help of her art minor, she could eventually publish a graphic memoir. When she’s not writing or studying, she loves to read various types of magical-realism centered books and graphic novels. More recently, she has been (not so secretly) obsessing over K-pop which she can’t help talking about. She is also currently serving as the networking coordinator for the creative writing club. (Her special interest is birds if you couldn’t tell.)

This is Hailey’s second year as an English department mentor, and she hopes to be an advocate for anyone who needs it and encourages students to always be themselves. As a first-generation student, she also hopes to help create an inclusive environment for all students so that they can succeed and flourish in their college journey!

Elena Watts

They/Them

Elena is a junior Film Studies major with minors in English, Business, and Broadcasting. They are from Lincoln, NE and are excited to go to the university that they had only experienced pieces of when they were younger. Some of their favorite classes so far have been Shakespeare on Screen (ENGL 330A), Audio Content Creation (BRDC 227), and Logic & Critical Thinking (PHIL 110). Outside of class Elena can be found reading (typically queer fantasy books), playing D&D, and traveling across Nebraska (and the US) as Miss Nebraska Job’s Daughter. This will be Elena’s second year as a mentor. Their favorite study spots are Love Library North and The Mill.

Julia Klug

She/Her

Julia is a senior majoring in English with minors in Asian Studies and History. She is from Highlands Ranch, Colorado! She came to UNL to pursue her dream of becoming a novel editor, because Nebraska had one of the best programs. Some of Julia's favorite classes so far include LGBTQ Lit and Film (ENGL 312) with Dr. Owen, and any Asian history class taught by Dr. Coble (she has taken nearly every class he offers). When she is not studying, Julia is usually typing away at her latest novel idea or reading one of the hundreds of books on her ever growing TBR list. She also enjoys a variety of crafting, with special interests in crochet, embroidery, and basic jewelry making.

This is Julia's first year as a mentor, but she is super excited to have the opportunity to be a mentor this year. Some of her favorite study spots are Meadowlark Coffee shop or any of the public libraries around Lincoln. She is hoping to be able to pass on lessons she has learned over the past three years, and all that entailed. Julia hopes that she can be a source of strength for the incoming students.

Ashe Franta

They/Them

Ashe Franta is a senior English major with minors in Women's and Gender Studies, Sexuality Studies, and Sociology. From Omaha, Nebraska, they pursue whatever they find interesting for the moment. Ashe has dreams of living in an isolated cabin on a mountain and talking only in riddles but has settled for being a creative writer with a passion for stories. Outside of schoolwork, they are often found immersed in a story of some kind, from repetitive children's television to queer YA literature to video games that take up too much time.

Ashe is usually found in a library, with headphones on, reading or writing. They hope to create a community they didn't have coming into college so new students can feel safe and comfortable on campus. Their favorite classes to take have been LGBTQ Literature/Literature and Film as well as History of Sexuality. And their order at Starbucks is a dirty chai, which they recommend to everyone, no matter the coffee shop they go to.

Brandon Faulkner

They/Them

Brandon is a junior double majoring in Film Studies and English, with minors in theatre arts and sexuality studies. As they are originally from Lincoln, Brandon can be found chilling in all the best places around town. You need a quiet place to relax? Brandon’s got you. You need to let off some steam and release that pent up energy? Brandon’s got you. But one thing Brandon does not have is his ability to shut off the existential questions constantly streaming through his head.

They have goals and aspirations just like everyone else. They work and continue to work on stories representing queer ideals that are still not broadly recognized. They want the satisfaction of knowing that what they are doing is ultimately helping those in the queer community who feel lost. When Brandon was lost, specifically during his first two years of college, he really found himself in courses such as Writing and Communities with Professor Bernardini (ENGL 254), Intro to Gender and Sexuality in Film with Professor Brunton (FILM 211), and Film Genre with Professor Page (FILM 219). These courses made life exciting for Brandon, mainly because his high school experience was quite lackluster in terms of film knowledge, and of course, queer knowledge. As much as he loved the topics in these courses, it was also the professors that really made his passion for film and literature grow. Drs Bernardini, Brunton, and Page have all invertedly created a small room of joy that sits in Brandon’s little heart.

Lucy Koenig

She/Her

Lucy is a junior English and Ethnic Studies double major from Lincoln. She initially studied Biochemistry but secretly wanted to be an English major. After taking a few English classes just for fun she decided to take Literature in the Environment with the awesome Dr. Emily Rau at Cedar Point Biological Station in Ogallala, Nebraska. During that course, students read literature about the Great Plains on the prairie. This experience made Lucy drop all her previous plans and switch to what she is truly passionate about, reading and writing. Lucy is specifically interested in Indigenous Literature, Place Studies, female authors, poetry, and creative nonfiction. She works at Morrill Hall which around closing time, kind of freaks her out. This summer she was a Humanities Intern at the National Willa Cather Center and spent her time exploring the prairie and being haunted by the ghost of Cather.

When she isn’t trying to shake off the spirit of Cather, Lucy enjoys exploring outside, writing, film photography, chronically napping and baking. She gets the most joy from finding the perfect thrifted sweaters and sunny spots to photosynthesize.

This will be Lucy’s first year as a mentor and her main advice for incoming students is to be open-minded and experiment. This is the time to figure out what you are truly passionate about, it could be something you never expected. Also, visit the Coffee House and try their blueberry matcha!

Louie Iannuzzelli

He/Him

Louie is currently a senior English and film studies double major with a minor in business. He is from Hoffman Estates, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago. When not in class or at work, he likes to longboard, rock climb, and play video games. He recommends working in fast food to develop breathtaking patience and the ability to multi-task. At UNL, he enjoys hanging out with friends watching movies, making flowers out of glow sticks, and playing board games.

Jordan Harper

She/Her

Jordan is a sophomore from Lincoln, Nebraska majoring in English & ethnic studies with minors in classics and digital humanities. This year, she will also be pursuing undergraduate research within the English department and serves as content creator for the on-campus acappella group Boots & Cats. When she is not studying or working, Jordan loves to read, hang out at a Lincoln city library, or visit a new coffee shop.

This will be Jordan’s first year as a mentor, and she’s very excited to share her love for the English department and the university as a whole. Her advice to incoming students is to pursue your interests both in and out of the classroom and don’t be afraid of putting yourself out there to new people or opportunities.

Megan Jerabek

She/Her

Megan Jerabek is a senior and is double majoring in Film Studies and English. After her first experience on the set of a film, she found her passion for the art of cinema. She decided at the end of her first semester that she wanted to major in English alongside Film Studies. Megan moved to Lincoln from her hometown of North Platte, Nebraska to study at UNL. Some of her favorite classes she has taken so far have been Film Directors (ENGL 239), Introduction to Women's Literature (ENGL 215), and the most surprising one, Descriptive Astronomy (ASTR103). In her free time, Megan enjoys acting, playing video games, reading cheesy YA novels, and having movie nights with her friends. After graduation, she plans to continue working in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera.

This being her third year as a mentor, Megan hopes to help incoming students find their place on campus while studying what they love. She is thrilled to be helping others find their path while they have a supporter by their side. (She is totally your biggest fan!)

Hannah Huynh

She/Her

Hannah is a senior English major with minors in Apparel Design and Textile Science. She grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and is currently working to pursue a career in fiction writing and/or potentially the publishing industry.

One of her favorite classes she took as a freshman was English Authors After 1800s with Dr. Bev Rillet where she learned so much more about bonded, college learning communities under the utmost sincere instruction. Being able to be a part of this close knit community created by Dr. Bev really made UNL start to feel like home in more ways than she could count. To upcoming juniors, she would also recommend Editing and Publishing! The course was particularly immersive where she and other students were given the opportunity to role play positions in the publishing industry while also handcrafting their own compact publishing company. Away from class, some of her favorite hobbies are thrifting, writing/reading, and playing piano. While at university, she’s also most likely missing her dog and dwelling in any and all classic lit.

This being her third and final year as a mentor, she especially looks forward to building strong relationships with those who share similar passions as her as well as opening herself up to new experiences and people. Hannah is most excited to learn about what the English department means to others and to see up close and personal how their passions inspire their own artistic work as well!