I firmly believe that my education at USC well prepared me for the rigors of being an Assistant Professor.  After completing my dissertation in the Summer of 2006 under the direction of Tom Habinek, I went directly into a tenure-track position at Marshall University. Mine is a small department, and one that demands a great deal of flexibility and depth to cover the wide range of courses, interests, and student preparation.  Marshall also encourages team-teaching and working beyond traditional departmental boundaries.  The faculty of Dornsife College both taught and exhibited what is necessary for success here.  They each have mastered the core competencies of our discipline but are not shackled to the traditional contours of intellectual domains.  They fostered a creative, cooperative yet demanding environment for students, and through regular conferences, lectures, support for travel and excellent library resources inculcated an appreciation for the broader scholarly community.  To this day I maintain contact with my professors and my cohort for guidance and camaraderie.  My time at USC was invaluable preparation for completing my professional goals, but also for growing me into a scholar I had not realized I could be.