An English degree doesn’t lock you into one career- it opens the door to countless possibilities. Today, employers actively seek the critical thinking and communication skills that English majors bring to the table. The ability to effectively utilize storytelling and literary analysis can seamlessly translate into many careers and opportunities. Recognizing this potential, donors Joe and Karen Knott have generously made the Knott Fellowship possible, intending to enhance the education and career development of senior English majors in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts.
Each year, the English Department selects Senior English Majors to receive the highly competitive and prestigious Knott Fellowships. The fellowship awards recipients up to $3,000 to support their academic journeys and post-graduation plans. Additionally, fellows receive personalized professional development, including one-on-one career advising, internship opportunities, resume writing coaching, and ePortfolio building. Over the course of their senior year, fellows also serve as ambassadors for the English major at events across the university, from open houses and admitted student days to BCLA community programs and Regent/Trustee receptions.
“‘You’re an English major? What are you going to do with that?’ It is the question all of our students get asked,” says Kelly Younger ‘94, LMU English Professor and Hollywood screenwriter. “These opportunities give our best and brightest English majors the professional exposure and confidence that will carry them into meaningful careers after LMU. Former fellows have gone on to succeed in graduate school, teaching, creative writing, marketing, entertainment, law, and business. So now when our students get asked, ‘What are you going to do with that?’ they can say… ‘you just wait and see!’”
Nearly ten years ago, Younger worked with Joe and Karen Knott to establish this fellowship. It all began when he met LMU Trustee Joe Knott, an alumnus who had majored in accounting. Younger shared his dream of creating opportunities for English majors to build skills, gain confidence, and prepare for their careers through guided mentorship. Not long after, University Relations called with exciting news: Joe and Karen Knott had made a generous gift to the English Department to help turn that dream into reality.
Knott Fellow Brett Koehn explains that the fellowship has created an environment “where students are truly seen, inspired, entertained, and directly offered the tools to reach for their dreams, beyond a stable suburban livelihood.” He adds that it has also provided “direct mentorship of creative and critical writers across disciplines, who advocate for the natural human spirit,” and he looks forward to “continued support in leadership development, creative inclusiveness, and transformative storytelling.”
Another recipient, Sofia Baer, describes the fellowship as “a way of making a difference for students” and “a huge motivation to continue building up this community of literary nerds.”
English major recipients of the 2025 Knott Fellowships include:
● Freya Patel, an English major and Theatre Arts minor, from Princeton, New Jersey. She describes the English Department as a haven of creativity, leadership, and community.
● Sofia Baer, an English major and Philosophy minor, is from Texas. Baer has found a strong sense of community in the English Department that stems from a shared love of literature and academics.
● Nare Tendjoukian is an English major, double-minoring in Chinese and Classics and Archaeology. She is from the Bay Area and hopes to promote reading and studying literature through different lenses and cultural backgrounds as a Knott Fellow.
● Brett Koehn is a double major in Film Production and English from Houston. As a Knott Fellow, he hopes to serve as an ambassador across departments to students looking for more ways to express themselves.
● Julia Vilardi is a double-major in Screenwriting and English. She is originally from São Paulo, Brazil, and describes how her love of stories through film, books, and poems has always brought her comfort. She has found the English Department to be welcoming and energizing.
● Emily Sepulveda is an English major originally from El Paso, Texas. She is fascinated by words and the ability to create something with them, and expresses how being an English major has helped her grow as a person and writer.
● Elijah Vera is a senior majoring in English and double-minoring in History and Chinana/o Latina/o Studies. He is from Fullerton, California. He hopes to use his experience as a Knott Fellow to build community within the Department and share diverse experiences and opinions.
● Nicole Khalil is an English major, double-minoring in Philosophy and Theological Studies. She describes how studying English has given her a deeper understanding of what it means to be human and has encouraged her to develop strong analytical skills.