Employee Spotlight: Meet Kate

by Kate Carroll

I came to PSG in the summer of 2012 as an intern. I was a rising senior at Emerson College, where I was part of the Writing, Literature & Publishing program and minoring in business studies. There, I had firsthand experience in publishing and all that it entailed, from learning InDesign and HTML to familiarizing myself further with copyediting to understanding the general structure and organization of business.

Beyond the skills it provided for my résumé, Emerson also presented me with the greatest opportunity I’ve had yet: the chance to study abroad. For three blissful months I stayed at Emerson’s campus in the Netherlands, Kasteel Well, a fourteenth-century castle nestled into a small Dutch village two hours outside of Amsterdam. During my time abroad, I visited twelve cities in nine different countries, had a view of two moats outside my bedroom window, celebrated Emerson’s twenty-fifth anniversary of owning the castle, and contributed to a parody video with my 85 fellow castle dwellers.

The experience inspired a project for one of my design classes. I designed a small booklet of memoirs that was a combination of everything I had loved and learned: Europe, typography, famous quotes, photographs and even a few Harry Potter references (I titled the book All Was Well, a play on the series’ final words.) I had never thought that I would be able to combine my passions and my academic career into a single mixture. But I found that same ideal combination when I came to PSG, where a grammar enthusiast who also loves math could find her place.

Every opportunity I was given during my internship at PSG contributed to my thirst for knowledge; I was learning each workday, part of a fantastic and energetic staff and proud of everything I was doing. So when I was offered an opportunity to stay on when summer ended, my answer was a resounding yes! During my senior year, I remained on the staff part-time, assisting in editorial duties as well as sales and marketing efforts. Each week provided new experiences, and I witnessed dozens of projects going in and out of the office so quickly that, before I knew it, I had graduated and was part of the full-time staff.

During my time here, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of tasks, from fact checking to proofing to creating marketing materials to editing artwork, though most often I’m copyediting. Each project brings the chance to look at something new, whether it’s internal material, math assessment items, content management systems (CMSes), science assessment items, or literary and nonfiction passages. I enjoy work that keeps me on my toes, and the knowledge that I’ve gained doesn’t hurt my Jeopardy! aptitude, either.

When I’m not watching the game show at home, you can find me reading, playing tennis or at Fenway Park—if I’m lucky enough to get tickets. I was born and raised five minutes outside Boston, and cheering for the Red Sox is as ingrained in me as rearranging a misplaced modifier.

Little-Known Facts About Kate

One of her favorite excursions while studying abroad was traveling to London. A self-described Anglophile, Kate loves all thing British—particularly their accents, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, anything by Jane Austen, and Downton Abbey.

Kate is known around the office for her varied taste in music, having claimed two of her favorites as AC/DC and the-boy-band-who-shall-not-be-named. This has earned her both relentless teasing and the nickname KC/DC.