Our ambassadors gain:

• free swag
• resume-building
• professional development
• real-world experience
• advocacy for their major
• community with other JMU English Student Ambassadors

My name is Bella Bledzki, I use she/her pronouns and I am a sophomore English major with a Creative Writing minor. I became a writer because I love letting my imagination run wild and being able to live through experiences and worlds that don’t exist in my everyday life. I am currently querying literary agents for my YA fantasy novel and would love to live as a full-time author one day. I love being an English major because it has taught me so many skills besides just strengthening my writing. This major has taught me how to analyze, think critically, expand my creativity, research carefully and extensively, and understand/use feedback. Besides deepening my love for reading and writing, I am more confident in my abilities as a future employee and entrepreneur.

My pronouns are she/her. I am graduating in 2026. I am an English major and Environmental Humanities minor! I am especially interested in finding out more about the world through literature and using writing to showcase the differences in our environment. Although I’m a freshman, I’ve already learned so much about different authors and how to analyze works through various literary perspectives. Outside of school, I like to go on walks in the arboretum while listening to Indie music on nice days.

Graduation: 2024 

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hi! My name is Samantha and I am a recent JMU transfer. I’m a nature and animal lover and in my free time I love to put on some oldies and read the day away. You can catch me hanging around in my hammock on the quad anytime it’s warm and sunny. I wanted to become an English major because I enjoy reading and talking about all kinds of literature. English is important to me because so much of my time is spent hitting the books and because literature and linguistics have always and will always exist, which I think is wicked. 

Pronouns: She/Her

Year of Graduation: 2026

Hey! My name is Kat Mauser. I’m a freshman English major with minors in creative writing, honors interdisciplinary studies, and pre-professional secondary education. I also write for The Breeze here at JMU. I helped to create this program and run a lot of the behind-the-scenes work as the program’s coordinator. I really enjoy being a student ambassador because it allows me to advocate for my major.

My goal is to one day use my degree to teach in a public school, and eventually to get my PhD in English. My favorite book is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson, and my favorite poet is Sylvia Plath. I found my love for literature within both of these, and they pushed me to become an English teacher. I’m excited for what the future will bring in this program!

Pronouns: He/Him
Graduation year: 2025
My name is Evan Moody. I am a SMAD major with a concentration in journalism and an English minor here at JMU.All my life I have been a lover of novels and prose. I first began writing creatively in the forms of poems and short stories before graduating high school and have extended my passion for the art into my university career.
Apart from being an English ambassador, I am a student assistant at the English department in Keezell, and I am a coeditor for the culture section at The Breeze. I am most excited and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside my fellow ambassadors to bright light to JMU English. 

Charles-Nicolas Owen currently attends James Madison University, majoring in English and minoring in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. He is passionate about art, literature, language, and the construction and utility of narratives. He intends to graduate from JMU in May of 2024 and pursue a career in teaching abroad in Francophone countries.

My name is Kaleigh Phelps, my pronouns are (she, her), and I am a senior English major here at JMU. I have a pre-professional secondary education minor and a concentration in Inclusivity, Diversity, and Power. On campus I am involved in JMU CHAARG, KΔΠ, TEACH ambassadors, and LETTS. I am an alumni of the roop residential learning community and I have a soft spot for curriculum design and poetry.

I became an English major because words have power! Our ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings make us human and I so appreciate the opportunities and skills learned from studying language and literature.

My name is Liz Shanks, my pronouns are she/her, and I am a senior English major at JMU.

I owe my passion for writing to the great poets of now and then, and my family of strong women that fostered my wonder. Someday I hope to be nestled between pages in the largest archives in the world, so my legacy can be my word.

I wanted to be an English major because I’ve wanted to be an English teacher for as long as I can remember. I always found joy in reading and writing about things I was passionate about, and I found no better fit than JMU’s fantastic English department to call my home.

Graduation year: 2024

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Most people who run into me will find me either reading a book, listening to an album I just discovered, or watching Friends for the 100th time. I am head over heels in love with travelling, especially to different cities (my favorites are London, New York City, and Edinburgh)! My ideal night is dinner at an Italian restaurant, a trip to the theatre, post-show ice cream, and a sitcom before bed:)
Being an English major has taught me so much and allowed me to hone my passion for literature. The reason I wanted to become an English major was because I love reading about other people's stories, experiences, and lives that I would otherwise not be able to learn about through other mediums. The English major at JMU has given me the opportunity to do just that, and has furthered my abilities to analyze literature and discover its meaning and significance within our field and society as a whole.