Certificate Students


Seemi Choudry

Graduate Assistant [ENGL]

Born and raised in Venezuela, Seemi Choudry is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants who moved with her family to Chicago at the turn of the century. After graduating from Loyola University, she became a public servant fighting the good fight in true Chicago-Community Organizer fashion. Eventually, she joined the Mayor’s Office as the Director of the Office of New Americans.

In 2019, Seemi moved to Berlin, Germany to further research the Newcomer Community as a Robert Bosch Fellow. Over the years, she has worked in community development, immigration rights and nonprofit management domestically and abroad.

Before starting her MFA, Seemi lived in Costa Rica where she learned about permaculture farming and worked on personal projects. Currently, she is writing the manuscript for her memoir. When not writing, she’s either cooking, playing soccer, immersed in international film, traveling or spending time with her family.


Ryan Everett

Graduate Assistant [ENGL]
Ryan Everett

Ryan Everett is a product of Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 2007 and went onto to Wartburg College, where he earned a BA in Secondary English Education. Since, he has long-term subbed for several years at Hoover and East High Schools and taught middle school English and Lang. Arts at Bergman Academy in Des Moines. He is pursuing an MA in English from Iowa State University in his never-ending pursuit to teach.
Ryan enjoys spending free time with family and friends, listening to music (talk to me), biking, veggie gardening, hammocking, reading, eating, drinking, and the occasional poem. He has found some combination of any number of these things works best.
He is eagerly looking forward to working with all members Cyclone Nation, specifically those with a genuine interest in progressing the human consciousness in an attempt to better the world!