Shelby Brewster, PhD - (2021)
Why did you decide to go to graduate school?
In short: I wanted to talk about ideas. I believe there’s always more to learn, and for me graduate school was the opportunity to learn more, to meet new people and explore new ideas. I was looking for ways to deeply engage with big ideas with others who shared that interest with me. When I started grad school, I didn’t have a clear vision of my career path. Through my six years in the doctoral program, mentorship of Pitt faculty and collaboration with my peers, I gradually decided to pursue academic editing.
Why did you choose to pursue your degree at Pitt?
I decided to pursue my doctorate at Pitt because the program allowed for both scholarly and practical work. My undergraduate degree was in performance and I was keen to continue creating theatre while studying it in seminar. I was fortunate to collaborate with many of the amazing artists in the department on a number of productions as director. I also have wide-ranging research interests, and there are so many opportunities for connection with other disciplines and departments at Pitt—I valued those opportunities as well.
How did the degree program help prepare you for your career?
Through both seminars and dissertation research I honed my own skills as a writer. Beyond that, discussing and examining a wide variety of scholarly writing started me on my journey as an academic editor. Because of my time at Pitt, I have a strong understanding of what makes effective academic writing, in terms of both content and form. The department also provided practical support, skills, and mentorship that enabled me to pursue a non-traditional academic career path.
What is your current position and what does it involve?
I am an independent editor and indexer for scholarly writing through my business Eyebright Editorial. I provide editorial support to researchers and writers on projects of all types: reports, full-length books, articles, dissertations, and short-form writing. I also create indexes for academic books.
Thoughts and/or advice for current graduate students?
Building community is so important. My cohort, other grads in the department, and other grad students at Pitt (especially in the Grad Union) were all such important parts of my experience at Pitt.