{"id":13519,"date":"2026-04-29T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T14:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13519"},"modified":"2026-04-29T09:00:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T14:00:59","slug":"warhawk-alum-finds-niche-in-science-writing","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/warhawk-alum-finds-niche-in-science-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Warhawk alum finds niche in science writing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Being a writer is much more than just the ability to arrange words on a page. It is capturing moments, invoking feelings, and communicating effectively in a wide variety of situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monica Cull, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate from Hartford, Wisconsin, has always considered herself a writer. Having been drawn to writing travel blogs and other forms of journalistic writing since she was young, she knew that she wanted to go into a career that would allow her skill with words to flourish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first-generation college student<\/a> whose parents both worked in trade careers, Cull\u2019s educational journey was a winding path. Prior to her time at UW-Whitewater, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Washington County, an institution that prepared students to transfer<\/a> to a four-year university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, Cull made the decision to become a Warhawk, a choice that was fueled by both a care for her family back at home and a deep desire to pursue her passion for writing \u2014 she eventually declared majors in both English<\/a> (creative writing) and journalism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring that time, it was hard to be away from my family. The campus was easy to commute to, so I could still be there to support them,\u201d said Cull. \u201cI also knew that Whitewater had a really good creative writing program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the moment she began at the UW-Whitewater campus, it became clear to Cull that she was entering an era of her life that would be filled with endless opportunities and connections. It did not take long before it \u201cfelt like home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding her niche<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While Cull knew she wanted to pursue an English degree, it was hard to decide from the many possible routes the major afforded her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cull stated that it was the individualized support from faculty members of the creative writing department who helped her discover the kinds of writing that excited her. Professors such as Donald Jellerson, Deborah Fratz, and Holly Wilson \u2014 associate professors of literature, writing, and film \u2014 played large roles in her journey as a student writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe professors really make the program stand out. A lot of the classes teach you how to be a more versatile writer, and how to use creative writing skills in the real world,\u201d said Cull. \u201cI have emailed my professors after graduation, and they have given me advice. It is clear that they want to see their students succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The well-rounded writing education Cull received allowed her to experiment with writing in a variety of different formats. She discovered newfound confidence in areas such as interviewing, social media writing, screenwriting, and more \u2014 all of which she was able to translate into her professional career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, Cull was offered a chance to spend a semester studying communications and journalism in Dalkeith, Scotland, through the Experience Scotland program. She jumped at the opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudying abroad<\/a> was the best thing I\u2019ve ever done in my whole life,\u201d said Cull. \u201cI met my fianc\u00e9 there, and it made me realize that being a writer can give you the flexibility to write from anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From student to professional editor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"UW-Whitewater
UW-Whitewater alum Monica Cull.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Right after Cull graduated in 2019, she was hired as an intern at Cream City Marketing and was able to immediately apply the versatile writing skills she developed during her undergraduate career to work her way up to a copywriter position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cI remember being about to graduate and people were concerned about finding jobs. With my creative writing background, I was able to get a job in marketing,\u201d said Cull. \u201cThese skills propelled me into my journalism career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After four years of working at the marketing agency, Cull saw an opening in a nearby town for an assistant editor position at Discover Magazine, a science magazine that publishes articles on new scientific developments. Her multifaceted talents in both creative writing and journalism made her stand out as a candidate, and she landed the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI took a huge risk,\u201d said Cull. \u201cI am not a huge city person, and to find a job in journalism in Waukesha was crazy, so I applied.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cull now works as the digital editor for Discover, editing stories from freelance writers along with writing her own. Through this position, she sees her writing education translate directly into her daily work. She has also found herself forming connections with \u2014 and learning from \u2014 people she had never thought she would meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cull interviewed nationally renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in 2023 for her article \u201cSci-Fi and Bringing Back the Mammoth with Neil deGrasse Tyson,\u201d which she refers to as the highlight of her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A screen shot of UW-Whitewater alum Monica Cull\u2019s interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, renowned astrophysicist, for Discover Magazine in 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never thought I would be a science journalist. It is a good example of how having skills like script writing and other versatile writing abilities is important,\u201d said Cull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the rise of artificial intelligence, current and incoming creative writing students may be worried about what the future of professional writing careers may look like. Cull argues that, on the contrary, the need for strong writers in the world is greater than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it will become even more critical to have people who know how to write well and consistently,\u201d said Cull. \u201cDon\u2019t give up and don\u2019t be afraid to try different kinds of writing. Newscasters and podcasts need people to write for them, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes a few simple words change how we look at things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When thinking back on the most influential moments that fueled her to continue writing, Cull recalls what her friend from UW-Whitewater said to her during a moment of uncertainty \u2014 one small, pivotal phrase that stuck with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomeone has to do it. Why not you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by Lalaina Chandanais| Photos submitted<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uww.edu\/news\/archive\/2026-3-warhawk-alum-science-writing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being a writer is much more than just the ability to arrange words on a page. It is capturing moments, invoking feelings, and communicating effectively in a wide variety of situations.  Monica Cull, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate from Hartford, Wisconsin, has always considered herself a writer. Having been drawn to writing travel blogs and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[84],"story_category":[147],"class_list":["post-13519","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-whitewater","story_category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13519"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}