Alumni Profile: Maggie Mallon, Class of 2010

Occupation: Senior Digital Producer at Glamour

Major:  English.  Minor:  Political Science.  Concentration:  Writing and Rhetoric

What do you do? “My daily responsibilities involve updating the Glamour.com homepage and channel pages, as well as building new editorial content. I work closely with the site developers to test new site features and work to create original HTML/CSS-based pages. I also write for the site, contributing most frequently to Glamour's political/current events blog 'The Conversation' and the entertainment blog ‘Obsessed.’”

Why did you choose to major in English at Villanova?  “Like most English majors, I always loved reading and writing. I chose to major in English because I wanted to hone my analytical skills and develop my voice. In addition to the core classes, the department offered a diverse selection of electives that would allow me to explore my interests, be it magazine writing, newspaper journalism, or travel writing; these offerings were integral in my decision.”

What was the best part of your experience at Villanova? “I loved being an editor of The Villanovan and being the news director of WXVU. Aside from being my favorite extracurricular activities, they were both creative multimedia outlets that afforded me invaluable editorial and leadership experience--experience that I've used in every professional role I've taken on since graduating.”

Maggie Mallon, Class of 2010

Did you receive any help from other Villanova alumni in developing your career? “I basically owe my current job to English alum Jackie Lebowitz. Jackie was a guest speaker during my Writing for Magazines class in the fall of 2009, and I stayed in touch with her during my senior year and after graduation. I was freelancing at Details when she recommended me for an assistant to the editor-in-chief opening at Glamour. Though I didn’t get that job, I did end up with the contact information for the online editorial director at Glamour. When they had an opening for an online producer position a few months later, I interviewed and got the job. I’ve been at Glamour ever since.”

Because I majored in English at Villanova… “I'm able to utilize the analytic skills I gained as an undergraduate in my daily life. I really can't overstate how important both strong critical-thinking and writing skills are in the professional world.”