Interview with English Alum and Counseling Student Will Reece

English professor Thomas Klein sat down with ISU alumni Will Reece who received a bachelor of arts in English in 2004, and is now back on campus to pursue a graduate degree in counseling. The purpose of the interview was to find out how he had made use of his English degree in the intervening years and what had brought him back to campus.

Reece reflected that his time as an undergraduate was one of the most favorite times of his life, recalling that he studied English because he loved Shakespeare and myth. Reece mentioned professor Roger Schmidt and English secretary Carol as having a huge impact on his life.

While he was an undergraduate, he started doing security work and ultimately began working for a security contractor, while maintaining a “front” job at a local gym. His various assignments included working for the Secret Service and guarding the president during the 2020 campaign. Reece said that he used his English degree directly in this job.

“When we read literature, when we're reading books and we're reading about characters, or we're looking at historical events or myths, we take meaning out of them. We analyze characters. We think about their motives and emotions.”

He continued, “When I come face-to-face with people, I have to assess who they are and what their true intent is. Now at the counseling department, as I sit and listen to people and listen to their stories, I can track with them better and understand them better. Literature opens up that experience.”

For Reece, the ability to communicate, the ability to research, the ability to write that communication down is essential in today’s job market, and that’s where liberal arts degrees such as English come in.

In his own case, his work as an international security contractor has brought him into contact with deeply traumatized people, and ultimately led him to pursue a career as a mental health counselor.

“What happens to that person who has been a slave? A contractor may be able to take a person out of that situation. But what about the rest of their life? I can help those people, help them help themselves. I can help them find the tools that they need to live a happy life.”

We appreciate Reece’s service, and wish him the best in this new endeavor.