Dana Ehrmann
Dana Ehrmann
Class Year
’15
Current home
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Major(s)
English and Film Studies
Current Position
Social Media Coordinator and Stand-up Comic
Dana Ehrmann ’15, a recipient of the Highest Honors Scholarship and the Anton B. and Adele R. Altera Scholarship, wanted to get the most out of her college experience. At Carthage, she took advantage of the academic programs by studying two majors and took a chance at something new by joining the Stand-Up Comedy Club.
The opportunities she participated in and the skills she learned at Carthage led to her two current career paths.
“By day, I am a social media coordinator. I am the “storyteller” of our home care and hospice agency. By night, I am a stand-up comic. I have performed all over the midwest in comedy clubs and at festivals.”
How did Carthage prepare you?
“I love that both the academic and extra-curricular sides of my Carthage experience prepared me for my career. The English Department made me a good writer and analytical thinker, which is invaluable across the board. I gained design, videography, and general marketing skills in the Communication and Digital Media Department. Carthage’s career staff also guided me in my process to look for internships, which informed my path immensely.
“As a freshman, I joined the Stand-up Comedy Club. I’d never done stand-up before, but performing on campus for four years prepared me to jump into the outside world as a comic in a major city. I’ve been able to build off the foundation I laid at Carthage, and now I get quite a lot of paid work doing stand-up. I’ve even been able to perform for crowds of up to 1,600 people, and it all started in Kenosha.”
What opportunities were made possible because of your Carthage experience?
“I took a J-Term trip my sophomore year to Puerto Rico. I didn’t previously know any of the 21 other students I traveled with, but through learning and the exploration of a new place and culture, we became like a family. It doesn’t really get more ‘Carthage’ than that. I remember my first tour of Carthage and being promised the world. I am thrilled to be able to say it delivered.”
Tips for current Carthage students?
“You didn’t come to Carthage to stay the same. Start learning about the things you’ve always wanted to learn about and doing the things you always wanted to do — even the things people said you couldn’t do. Try different majors, hobbies, routines, friend groups, and whatever else because you’re not beholden to any of it. To offer a cliche: College is what you make of it, and it goes by very quickly. Squeeze every last drop out of it.”