Erin Parsons graduated from Elizabethtown College in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in communications with concentrations in mass communications and corporate media. She still uses what she learned at the College in her life today.
Parsons was attracted to Etown’s small size, as her high school on Long Island was also very small. “When I came with my parents for a tour, all of the students and faculty we met were very friendly,” Parsons said in an email interview. “It was also a gorgeous, sunny day and the campus looked so beautiful. I loved it from the beginning!”
TGIS Weekend and the annual Thanksgiving dinner were two of Parsons’s favorite Etown traditions. “It was always fun to get dressed up and have your teachers serve you dinner,” she said, referring to the Thanksgiving dinner. Parsons worked at the Etown Inn with several of her close friends for part of her junior and senior years. “It was so much fun to work there together,” she said.
While attending Etown, Parsons spent much of her time working with ECTV-40, the campus television station, where she was on the board of directors. One of her favorite college memories is the time she spent doing remotes with ECTV, despite the hard work involved. “I loved being involved with the behind the scenes of the TV station,” Parsons said. “I started out operating a camera on a show, and I eventually produced and directed a few shows.” She was also a photographer for the yearbook, the Conestogan, and president of the Society of Collegiate Journalists.
Parsons especially enjoyed the TV production classes offered in the communications department while attending the College. Two of her favorite professors were Dr. Tom Shaker, now retired, and Dr. Hans-Erik Wennberg, who is currently an associate professor of communications.
Since Parsons graduated in 2000, her class had graduation parties on campus, which were another fond memory of hers. Her class had one party 2,000 hours before graduation and another 2,000 minutes before graduation, though Parsons cannot remember if they were college-sponsored or “just something seniors did.” She added that “both took place at bars in town (the first was at the bar under the Etown Inn (I think!) and the second was at Rockwell’s) and were just an excuse for anyone from that year’s graduating class to get all together in one place.”
After graduation, Parsons moved to Maryland with one of her college roommates in search of a career in TV production, hoping to use her knowledge from working with ECTV-40. After waitressing for Rams Head Tavern for a while, she decided to get a master’s degree in publications design from the University of Baltimore “to learn a little more about print design.” As Parsons was completing her master’s degree in 2004, she was hired as a graphic designer for Rams Head, which consists of six restaurants, three music venues and Fordham Brewing Company. She worked out of the head office in Annapolis.
Currently, Parsons is a freelance, part-time graphic designer for the company Wishing Tree Designs in Maryland. Freelancing means she works for herself, but also does work for other companies. She worked full-time for the same company before her second child was born. “When I told them I wasn’t coming back full-time after having Gavin, they offered me freelance work,” Parsons said.
Before becoming part-time, Parsons was the design manager for the company. She oversaw a team of designers and had “a bigger part in the development of various print and marketing pieces.” Now that Parsons is a part-time employee, she only has design responsibilities.
Parsons has not been back to the College since her five-year reunion but is still connected through the friends she made while attending Etown. “I am still very close with many of the friends I made while I was there. I know that’s a bit of a stretch, but that’s all I’ve got!” she said. The alumna also stays connected to Etown by using what she learned during her time here, as she credits the College with introducing her to what she is doing now. “The high expectations of the professors also helped form the high work ethic I have today,” Parsons said. “I am neurotic about everything that I do, and I think that comes from my professors always pushing me to do better.”
Her advice for current students is: “Take advantage of all the opportunities that Elizabethtown has to offer, which are many. Enjoy your time while you are there, because the four years go very fast. They were some of the best years of my life and I made some lifelong friends as a result.”
Parsons has a “wonderful” husband, Grant, who she met while they were both waiting tables and bartending at Rams Head. Grant is a regional sales manager for the Republic National Distribution Company. Together, they have two children: Emma, who is six, and Gavin, who will be three at the end of December. Parsons said of her greatest accomplishment, “I know it’s cliché, but my family.” The family also consists of an 11-year-old cat, Sadie, and a 9-year-old yellow lab, Mason.