New assistant professor of communications, Dr. Matthew Telleen, recently told me something that I will never forget. It applies to everyone who seems unsure of what path to take in life. “Try what you think you’re going to like, and if it doesn’t work out, there are other options,” he said.
Telleen tried multiple majors before becoming a teacher. Telleen first went to college for print journalism in his home state of Minnesota. Combining his major and his love of sports, he aspired to become a sports writer. He was convinced that this was exactly what he wanted to do. During college, he was a sports writer for the local newspaper, covering stories on high school sports. Eventually, he realized that this was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He quickly became burned out and felt as though he was writing the same thing over and over again with no ability to be creative.
After he graduated, Telleen moved to Palm Springs, Calif. for a year. He then spent a semester abroad participating in a work abroad program for recent graduates. Then he moved to London and spent six months working there. After the six months ended, he went back to Minnesota, where he began working in corporate communications. Internet companies were hiring at the time, so he received a job working at a small technology company that designed software for airlines. After spending time in the corporate world, he decided he want to go back to school. So, he  decided to attend law school at the University of Minnesota.
Going into school, he didn’t have the expectation of becoming a lawyer, but  intended to use it as a graduate degree. Upon graduating, he practiced family law for over a year in St. Paul, Minn. He decided that after all of the stress and emotions from dealing with family law, he wanted to try something new, which is when he began teaching. Law school had helped him realize that he enjoyed learning, teaching and relating to other people. After practicing law, he started teaching in town. He taught at a small school for a few years and then decided to go back to school for his Ph.D. Afterward, he and his family moved to South Carolina, where he taught at a university for some time and then saw the opportunity to work at Elizabethtown College.
Working at Etown reminded Telleen of his own college experience. He enjoys the staff in the communications department and loves the fact that they were excited to have a new department member. The communications department was a huge factor in  coming to Etown. In other workplaces, he felt as though people were not as accepting of having a new person on the team and made him feel lower, wanting him to know his place as the so-called “new guy.” Here, he feels welcomed and  part of the College community. He also likes how the college is a liberal arts institution because it gives students a good education, regardless of their major. It makes the students well-rounded and encourages them to try something new that they might not have tried before they had the class.
A few things people do not know about Telleen is that he is a huge sports fan. He follows both college and professional sports, especially basketball. His favorite team is the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also enjoys following sport statistics for basketball and baseball and is spectacular at pop culture trivia.
If you want to meet Telleen, or have any questions for him, (be it regarding law and journalism or not),  you can find him in his office on the second floor of the Steinman Center.
A little advice he has for all Etown students, is that there are going to be misturns. We just have to enjoy the journey and see where the wind blows. Even if something does not go the way you had thought, just try something new.