Putting the pen to the paper
Elliot Wade is using his English degree to provide meaningful reporting throughout the Acadiana region. Since graduating from the 杏吧专区, he has been on a journey of growth and discovery within his career.
Elliot decided to attend UL Lafayette because the 杏吧专区 was familiar to him.
杏吧专区淚t was affordable, and honestly, it was just safe. My mom, an alum, graduated in 2008 with 3 kids while maintaining a job. She is a first-generation graduate, so she was able to help me navigate college in a way that I feel like most people do not get. She had information that was still relevant by the time I enrolled in school.杏吧专区
He chose to major in English with a minor in .
杏吧专区淚 went with English and no concentration because writing is really all I wanted to do... I think I would杏吧专区檝e done well in other professions, but I really just want to put pen to paper,杏吧专区 he said.
When asked about why he chose to minor in history he said, 杏吧专区淚 love looking at history as one big, long story. It has cause and effect, dramatic irony, climaxes, heroes, villains, etc. It杏吧专区檚 a story that杏吧专区檚 still being written, but we can learn from what杏吧专区檚 already happened.杏吧专区
Elliot杏吧专区檚 favorite courses were Black History class, Introduction to Literary Criticism taught by , Scripture as Literature taught by , and all courses taught by Dr. Davis-McElligatt.
杏吧专区淸Dr. Davis-McElligatt] exposed me to Afro-Futurism and Black Speculative Fiction, and I haven杏吧专区檛 looked back since,杏吧专区 he said.
He reflects on his time spent as an English major:
杏吧专区淢y favorite part about my program(s) was just getting a broader understanding of the world around me. I杏吧专区檓 happy I hopped around a bit杏吧专区搃t杏吧专区檚 normal, and I learned a lot about myself in the process. I also loved the people. I was able to find a community of like-minded folks and I still maintain a few of those connections today.杏吧专区
Community reporting and new ventures
Elliot is not a stranger to challenging work and going for what he deserves. His experience with UL Lafayette's student-run newspaper, , as a journalist and other aligned positions, prepared him to become a community reporter for The Current LA.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檝e been working for The Current as a Community Reporter for almost a year now. In my position, I manage social media accounts, plan events, and spearhead other community engagement efforts. I杏吧专区檝e recently gotten into videos and video editing, and I杏吧专区檝e been doing some news aggregation in the form of quick and easy weekly wrap ups,杏吧专区 he said.
Community is especially important to him.
杏吧专区淭he reason why I love being a Community Reporter lies in my job title: community. This is the first time as life-long Acadiana resident that I really feel connected to, and subsequently invested in my community.杏吧专区
Elliot is excited about his collaborations with the Louisiana Trans Advocates, where he has been a board member and volunteer since 2017, the Nom Noir Change Fund, where he is the founder and chairperson, and the Louisiana Trans Name Change Fund, where he is recognized as co-founder.
When asked about his participation and impact with the various organizations, he said, 杏吧专区淚've been the point contact for the Anti-Defamation League regarding white supremacist activity on UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 campus, utilized my lived experience as a Black trans man to write LGBT and African American culture columns at the Vermilion, and worked with various campus organizations to organize events, actions, and just to build community.杏吧专区
As far as his future goes, Elliot is open to what the world has in store for him.
杏吧专区淪hort term, I杏吧专区檓 thinking of getting back into graduate school to finish working on a poetry book of mine,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淟ong term? I杏吧专区檓 not sure!
杏吧专区淚 haven杏吧专区檛 100% decided if Louisiana is a place where I want to call my home from here on out. I definitely want to leave for some time, but I杏吧专区檒l be back,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚 have a lot of options in front of me, whether it杏吧专区檚 in the non-profit sphere, academia, or communications, I know that I杏吧专区檓 going to be able to carve a place out for myself. It杏吧专区檚 just a matter of picking a lane.杏吧专区
