The Department of English

The English Graduate Student Council

Descriptive alt tag
logo
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag
Descriptive alt tag

The purpose of EGSC is to serve as a forum for the discussion of matters pertaining to the welfare of graduate students enrolled in the Department of English at California State University, Chico.

Our goals for the 2022–2023 academic year are:

  • To facilitate the academic progress, growth, and excellence of graduate students,
  • To improve our resourcefulness in serving between the graduate student body and the Department of English, College of Humanities and Fine Arts, and the University,
  • To contribute to the recognition and integration of graduate students on campus,
  • To foster unity among graduate students within the English Department as well as at California State University, Chico,
  • And lastly, to build connections with the organizations and councils of other campuses.

For more information, please email chicostateegsc@gmail.com

Our Annual Symposium

The EGSC Symposium is a scholastic forum where English graduate and undergraduate students from any CSU can present their creative manuscripts or their research and writing in the fields of literature and composition. The EGSC Symposium is a dynamic, creative event that facilitates scholarly discourse and is helpful for students who seek to further their education after Chico by adding to their professional resume.

Students interested in presenting their creative works in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction as well as research and development papers in English disciplines (literature, linguistics, literacy, composition, and rhetoric) are encouraged to submit abstracts for consideration. Multimedia presentations are welcome, but you must include what technology you will need for your presentation in your submission.

For more information on how to submit work to the symposium, contact chicostateegsc@gmail.com

The Manzanita

Spring 2018 Manzanita book cover

The projects and papers presented during the symposium are eligible to be submitted for review and consideration for publication in the Manzanita, the well-established EGSC annual publication. Representative of the work presented at the EGSC Symposium, the Manzanita showcases the talent of students in a variety of specialties. It features creative works in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction as well as research works in English disciplines. 

Meet Our Officers

Jen CarterJen Carter, President

Jen Carter is a poet and graduate student at California State University, Chico. She currently teaches a section of ENGL 130 at the university, works as a mentor in the English department, and is the social media editor for the literary magazine, Watershed Review. Jen aspires to one day work in a publishing house and help produce bodies of work that give her the same feeling she gets when listening to the Mama Mia soundtrack. On the rare occasion that she’s not on campus, you can find her at a coffee shop or a Harry Styles concert.


Lauren WassamLauren Wassam, Vice President of Academic Affairs

Lauren is an English Graduate student in the Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy pathway. She graduated with her BA in English Studies from CSU Chico in 2023. Lauren is honored to be a Peer Mentor within the English Department. She is also a Peer Academic Leader (PAL) Program Lead in the First-Year Experience Department. In her free time, she loves to puzzle while listening to self-help podcasts, scrapbook, and create meals for her friends.


Larisa Perkins-OrtaLarisa Perkins-Orta, Vice President of Social Affairs


Orion LiggettOrion Liggett, Secretary

Orion Liggett is a graduate student at Chico State, currently pursuing her Master's in English with a focus in literature. Her most recent research is focused on Indigenous literature and queer theory. Orion's home base is in the mountains of Quincy, CA with her 2 children, 2 cats and 2 dogs. 


Emily AzadEmily Azad, Treasurer

Emily Azad is a graduate student at Chico State, currently pursuing her Master's in English with a focus on Literacy and Composition.