Meet Sarah Donawerth (‘13), a content manager at VYRL.
In a few sentences, describe your post-Biola work/life journey.
Directly after Biola, I went to Chapman University to get an MFA in Creative Writing. I graduated and got a job at Stampington, an arts and crafts magazine publisher, where I discovered that I really loved the marketing side of copywriting. I was able to become a marketing manager and progressed through the ranks at three different companies before getting my current job as the content manager at a tech startup in Irvine. In addition to the work side of things, I also have two dogs, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, and now live in a pink tiny house on wheels (https://pinktinyhouse.com). I also just recently published my first novella, Sea Witch (available on Amazon). I write every day and I am proud to be a Biola alum.
What is your specific position [at the organization/company where you work]? And how did getting an English degree prepare you for the job?
I am a content manager and marketer at VYRL. It is a tech startup that developed Shopify's #1 influencer marketing app. As the content manager, I write all day long for my position, whether it's a marketing email, social media post, or blog post. Being the writer in the office, I also get to review other people's writing to make sure that it is in the company's voice and free from errors. I've been able to build their blog from the ground up, which has been a good mix of content marketing about influencers and some odd articles like a history of influencer marketing starting with the gladiators of ancient Rome!
In addition to all of the writing tasks that I perform throughout the day, I'm also responsible for the infrastructure of a lot of the marketing. I get to figure out how to structure and segment email lists, target prospective users with social ads, and build the triggers that send our emails automatically. It's a lot of research, which I always enjoyed as an English major too, and refining methods until the highest return is achieved. One of the most recent projects I completed was a Learning Hub, which encompasses video content, articles, and other resources that can help those who use the Shopify app. Being an English major gave me the skills to research not only the written content but all of the little answers to problems that I encounter on the job.
What was a favorite class or experience you had while a Biola English major?
I would say that my favorite classes were with Professor Buchanan, and I took a few with him. I am guilty of quoting him and his lessons while on the job. It is because of his tutelage that I never use the word "utilize" in any of my writing, and I very rarely use an adverb (sorry, I couldn't resist an English major joke thrown in there).
I also discovered my love of Jane Austen at Biola. I had read Pride and Prejudice, but Professor Duquette's Jane Austen class was my first experience with all of Jane Austen's novels. This experience is the reason that I joined the Jane Austen Society of North America, and why my dogs are named after characters in Pride and Prejudice. This one class set off a lifelong passion for all things Jane Austen. I have been a keynote speaker at a JASNA Southwest meeting, where I discussed binary oppositions in Mansfield Park. I also studied abroad in England during my master's program so that I could visit all the Jane Austen historical sites. If it hadn't been for Biola and Professor Duquette, my dogs might have been named Max or Shadow!
What about life after college was most surprising to you?
I thought I knew exactly where I was headed when I graduated from Biola. The surprising parts of life after college have been, well, everything. I had planned to be a writer, which I thought meant that I would be a journalist or a blogger. Instead, I write every kind of content imaginable and I get to formulate the content that my company's audience wants to read and enjoy.
Biola also prepared me to think outside of school and work. At Biola, I started the habit of having loads of hobbies and interests outside of school, and I've continued that into the next chapter of my life. Biola taught me to make bold decisions in life, but also not to take life so seriously. I ended up starting two blogs (www.sarahdonawerth.com and https://pinktinyhouse.com) to record my experiences with art and living in a pink tiny house.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd already be working on the first draft of my second novel, writing for a software company, or posting art tutorials online. I've just taken the next step and the next step to build a life that I love. Biola is where I laid the foundation for all the journeys that I've taken so far.
What advice would you give to a current Biolan majoring in English? Or what’s something you did in college that later helped you professionally?
Create a digital footprint! Submit some articles to smaller publications, ask if you can write a blog post for your friend's blog, or send your work to magazines. I was fortunate to have writing samples from a few places before I graduated, and it helped me get my foot in the door of a lot of companies. I also kept good records of every single place where I was published so that I could create a portfolio of links for every interview.
Are you reading lately, and if so, what?
I never could focus on reading just one book at a time, so I'm reading a few things.
I am working my way through an anthology of famous literary journalism articles that I purchased while at Biola. I had planned to use it as a source in a paper, and instead, it sat on the shelf for six years, but I'm reading it now!
I also like to hide books around the house and in the car so that if I'm ever stuck somewhere or bored, I can pull something out to read. I have Screenwriting for Dummies and The American Collection of Short Stories stowed in my car under the seat, and I have a Coco Chanel biography next to my bed for nightly reading. I'm also slowly whittling away at the unabridged version of Les Miserables. All in all, I progress through books pretty slowly because I'm so busy, but I always have something that I'm dying to read!