Savannah Cooks
Savannah Cooks
Class Year
’26
Hometown
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Major(s)
English with a Creative Writing Emphasis, Communication
At Carthage, Savannah Cooks ’26 is able to pursue her passion for writing through her majors in English and communication. She has always had a niche for the art and knew coming into college that she wanted to strengthen her writing skills. She is excited for the career opportunities her majors will open for her future.
“The English courses give you the tools to think critically and voice your thoughts comprehensively, which is something that all career paths need,” she says. “The thing I love about the communication career path is that there are so many different routes you can take. Whether you are more creative or more logical, there is going to be a job for you within communication.”
Born and raised in Kenosha, Savannah enjoys driving around with her friends near the Sand Dunes to look at the unique houses there. As she grows older, she works to keep up the tradition of going to the Jerry Smith’s Pumpkin Farm every fall like she used to do with her family as a child.
Learn why students love Kenosha
Why Carthage?
“I chose Carthage because it’s close to home. It’s actually the only college in Kenosha that I applied to and mostly because I heard a lot of great things about the school growing up and knew that this is where I wanted to be.”
Faculty mentors
“The English Department here at Carthage is wonderful. All the faculty are so nice, encouraging, and they want to see you grow and succeed. Ever since my first semester at Carthage, I felt like I was a valuable part of the English major because of how involved and uplifting the professors were. They helped me gain confidence within myself and pushed me to go farther with my writing.”
Favorite class
“My favorite class so far is Visual Communication. Although I don’t really work on the skill too much, I have a soft spot in my heart for graphic design. That class really teaches you all the basics you need to have for it. I took classes in high school for graphic design, so I already knew quite a bit, but to be able to work with the Creative Cloud again and doing all the cool projects, I found myself looking forward to the class every week.”
Toughest class
“My toughest class I took at Carthage would probably be Health Communication and not because the course was hard within itself, but it was the first time I had a class where we used a textbook and had multiple quizzes within a week. It was a troubling adjustment, but it was a wonderful course that was intellectually stimulating.”
Internships or campus employment
“I worked at Carthage’s bookstore during my sophomore year. I loved working there because I interacted with all kinds of students, staff, and families. Working there made me feel really involved at Carthage. I also recently started working as a newsletter editor intern for the Office of Marketing and Communications on campus, and I love it so far!”
Career goal
“I would like to work in a corporate setting like a newsroom or for a news corporation. I don’t necessarily need to be a journalist, although I wouldn’t shy away from it, but it could honestly be anything else, such as working with a website, the press, or even social media. I would also like to publish a story one day; it’s not a career goal because I don’t want to put my writings out there for the money, but more just so I can share my thoughts to the world.”
Favorite spot on campus
“I really like the quiet study rooms on the second floor of Hedberg Library. The study rooms are great because they are really comfortable, and once I’m in the room with my headphones on, I’m in the zone to do whatever I need to get done.”
Favorite memory
“My favorite memories at Carthage are the trips to Milwaukee for the musicals with CAB. I went to the ‘SIX,’ ‘Frozen,’ and ‘Aladdin’ shows, and I really enjoyed them. Not only is it basically a steal because the tickets through CAB are so cheap and you get transportation to and from, but the shows themselves are also always amazing. I really look forward to them and try to go anytime that I can.”
Best study tip
“I am the type of person who needs to have hard copies of things, so when I know I’m going to have a quiz or a test, I will write everything down long hand because it makes it easier for me to remember. I also make flashcards on Quizlet to test my knowledge and keep using them until I remember the information like the back of my hand.”