New Alumni Spotlight! Read about Caleb Schrader '26, Assistant Professor of English at Cairn University

Caleb Schrader (M.A. 2026; he/him), former graduate student in the English department's Texts, Technologies, and Literature program, now working as an Assistant Professor of English at Cairn University. Visit the alumni spotlight page here.

UMBC was my home for the better part of six years, from discovering my passion for teaching as an undergraduate to developing those skills as a graduate assistant in the Texts, Technologies, and Literature (TTL) program. Every semester taught me something new about myself and prepared me for a career in academia. Since graduating from UMBC’s English M.A. program in spring 2026, I have begun working as an Assistant Professor of English at Cairn University, in Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania, where I teach courses in composition, public speaking, and literature. Due to the small nature of the university, I have also had the opportunity to take on a variety of exciting roles, including meeting with prospective students, expanding study-abroad opportunities, serving on the Honors Committee, and developing new courses in linguistics and post-World War I literature. My goal is to train students to become thoughtful, disciplined, and rhetorically aware writers who pursue truth, communicate with clarity, and engage the world with wisdom and humility. Working with such wonderful students and faculty has been incredibly rewarding, and I feel well equipped for this adventure because of the education and encouragement I received at UMBC. I am honored to represent the Black and Gold here in Philly!