English At 50 | University of Waterloo

As a student at UW, Dr. Margaret Martinello (BA 1974) learned to "work really hard, strive to do your very best, and be passionate about what you do." She applies this to her life every day and finds that it pays off in her personal, professional, and theatre lives. Currently, Margaret is the Director of Development for the William J. Clinton (Bill Clinton) Foundation in New York City. In her spare time she is a playwright. She has produced two plays, one in L.A. and another in P.E.I. (An article about Margaret’s play “Option to Renew” appeared in the September 2007 Alumni newsletter, which can be found here.)

Margaret realized her love for English when she signed up for her first library card at the age of five years. English became her lifelong passion. Perhaps because she saw the same passion in his teaching, she recalls that Professor Doug Letson taught two of the most memorable courses she took at UW. One of these was the Introduction to Medieval Literature. Dr. Letson taught her to identify with the mindset of people from hundreds of years ago by making comparisons between it and the mindset of people today. Dr. Letson was deeply committed to what he taught, and the course opened up a whole new world for her studies, influencing her to take a minor in Medieval Literature studies during her PhD.

The other course was the Introduction to Canadian Literature course at St. Jerome's. Little did she know when signing up for the course which she did “simply because it was one of the only ones that fit into her timetable that semester” that it would become one of the most important classes of her undergraduate career. The class was always lively, and Dr. Erik McCormick often invited poets to speak to the students. On one occasion Milton Acorn, who was known as the "People's Poet of P.E.I.," spoke to the class. Later, Margaret would also live in P.E.I., which often reminded her of that class. Before the course, she was unaware of the scope of Canadian literature, and she continued to study it through her graduate student years because of this one class. She found that having small class sizes, such as those at St. Jerome's University, complemented her English major well, as she was able to learn in a more intimate setting. Margaret also enjoyed studying English theatre while at UW, especially acting and directing. She remembers two professors in particular, Mita Scott Hedges and Paul Roland, who fueled her passion for English theatre.

After graduating, Margaret moved to Toronto to pursue her MA in Professional Writing at York University. She then pursued her PhD in English Literature with a major in Canadian Literature and a minor in Medieval Literature, also at York University. After completing her degrees, she began her career as a professor at Seneca College in the 1980's, where she taught creative writing and communications courses. One sabbatical year, she travelled to California, where she studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California (USC). She decided to stay at USC, where she earned MAs in Professional Writing and Production, and eventually took a job at Mount St. Mary's College. Margaret then worked at USC Marshall School of Business as Director of Corporate Relations, assisting with the university's $2.8 billion fundraising campaign, eventually becoming a speechwriter for the university's president. She then worked for the USC Marshall School of Business to launch a $2.8 million fund-raising campaign and spent seven years travelling on behalf of the school to establish relationships with CEOs from around the world before moving to PEI, where she built a house and became Director of Bioscience at the University of Prince Edward Island.

The writing skills that Margaret learned helped her become an effective writer and editor. She sees English degrees as central to the future work world. In her own studies, she learned that “the ability to be able to read critically and write effectively are critical skills, particularly nowadays.” Presently, she has another screenplay in development, and is working with an Emmy award-winning actress. She hopes to produce the play next year.