Lisa Sheridan

"Thanks to the School blog and The Kiosk, I have a writer’s portfolio of published work that enhances my value to content makers in the communications industry.”

What were some of the most defining aspects of your time at CUNY SPS?

There were so many defining moments that it’s hard to choose. I suppose my most profound experiences were when I had the chance to help create new or better opportunities for students. I loved being involved in student government, launching The Kiosk, and assisting new students through mentoring programs. 

What is the best piece of advice, or most important thing you learned at CUNY SPS?

My advice would be to get as involved with the School as your schedule permits. I often heard classmates say that they came to CUNY SPS simply to get a diploma. But inevitably, the sense of community and our engagement with the School made us all walk away with a much greater sense of purpose than just the “piece of paper.” I wish that richness for all students.

Who influenced you the most? Please feel free to include anyone from the CUNY SPS community including faculty, staff, or fellow classmates.

EVERYBODY. From Dean Mogulescu to my fellow students on the discussion board, and all the folks in between.  Sorry, this answer may feel like a cop-out. But to me, this question is kind of like asking a mother to name her favorite child.

How has your CUNY SPS influenced your current job, and your career overall?

CUNY SPS influenced my current job in a lot of ways! For one, I now work part-time as a college assistant in marketing for the School, so that’s huge. Also, thanks to the School blog and The Kiosk, I have a writer’s portfolio of published work that enhances my value to content makers in the communications industry.  

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Most of the time, I am editing already published content for marketing. But when I get a chance to write a piece to share a great story about the School . . . That’s everything.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, I will have a full-time copywriting job (hopefully for CUNY SPS ) while writing my novel at night.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

• What show/s are you currently watching? I gave myself a graduation gift of a subscription to the Criterion Channel. I don’t have much time for TV, but when I do, I love to browse their collection and discover a new indie or foreign director that I didn’t know before.
• What is your favorite meal? Peking duck. But it’s so fattening that I only have it once a year—on my birthday!
• What is your favorite line in a movie? From the closing scene of American Beauty: “Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst. And then I remember to relax and stop trying to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain, and I can’t feel anything but gratitude --for every single moment of my stupid, little life.”
• Favorite or most recent book you read?  Favorite book of all time: Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, an epic that traces the 20th Century history of India through the eyes of a child born at midnight when India gained its independence. A more recent fave is Zadie Smith’s Grand Union, a fabulous collection of short stories—she deconstructs and reconstructs the short story with such mastery.
• Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, none, all?  Since Cambridge Analytica, no more Facebook for me. Twitter—a bit, but as a writer, I know that I should do more. Instagram, I love, except the ads are beginning to make it very “Facebooky,” LinkedIn all the time, TikTok—not so much.
• List 3 things you would bring to a deserted island.  A pen, notebook, and a dictionary.  

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