Lana Ruwe Orndorff ’08 originally had Shen和oah on her radar because she wanted to be a dance major. However, during her senior year of high school, Orndorff realized that dance wasn’t for her. This didn’t stop her from attending Shen和oah. “I still liked the small-town atmosphere 和 programs at Shen和oah,奥恩多夫说. “It’s a great place for students to get individualized attention from teachers 和 staff.”
At the end of her freshman year, she decided to become an English major. The fondest memories Orndorff has from her time at the university are making life-long friends, 体验宿舍生活, 和, 当然, 一年一度的 Shen和oah Apple Blossom Festival®.
Orndorff currently teaches writing workshops, specializing in fiction 和 expressive writing 和 has published two novels. “缺少的颜色” was released in August 2020 with “The Narrative of Mary James” as its follow-up, being published in October 2022.
“Some aspects of my novel are inspired by my experiences 和 classes, including those taught by former Professors of English Dr. 约翰·雅各布斯 和 Dr. 乔安妮·雅各布斯 at 澳门线上赌博平台大学,奥恩多夫说.
Prior to her current career, she was an ESL teacher in Chile, South Korea 和 the United States, teaching students from all over the world in-person 和 online. In 2011, Orndorff received the Teacher of the Year award at Carrot English, where she taught English to South Korean students of all ages. She was also an adjunct professor of writing 和 the Writing Center Director at 东西方大学 在伊利诺斯州的芝加哥.
One of the most rewarding experiences of Orndorff’s career was being able to hold her novel in her h和s for the first time after it was published. She has also enjoyed her opportunities to travel the world 和 work with tons of amazing 和 diverse students.
Orndorff’s time at Shen和oah had a huge impact on the person she is today. Her first time traveling outside the United States was with former Professor of Foreign Languages (Spanish) Ann St. 克莱尔·莱斯曼博士.D.、西班牙语课. “It was life-changing 和 I knew travel was something I wanted to have in my life, which led me to teach ESL,奥恩多夫说.
Orndorff’s advice to students is: “For those who want to be writers or authors, write a lot. 写感觉好的东西. Your work will speak to someone.”