Alumni Success Stories : Success Story

Writing Her Ticket
Whitney Lyles, Class of 1996
Hometown: Poway, California
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of San Diego
Career: Novelist, author of “Always the Bridesmaid” and the soon-to-be-released “Roommates,” both published by Berkley (Penguin/Putnam)

Quite honestly, I didn’t enjoy high school, and when I thought about college, I wanted to go to a big party school. But then my parents and I visited Marymount, and they were attracted to the idea of my attending college here. What ultimately won me over were the location—it’s really gorgeous—and the small classes, where students could get to know their professors.

It turns out that I made the right choice. Marymount, in fact, was a turning point in my life. The professors at the College were better than any teachers I had before or since. They were all so interesting—John Perkins in Philosophy, Dr. Joe Cuseo and Sally Wu in Psychology, Judy Hotchkiss in Health, and, in particular, Richard Ryan in Math. He explained everything in great detail and made the subject understandable. In all of my classes at Marymount, I can safely say I never experienced a boring moment.

It was also the first time in my life that I truly excelled as a student. I gained the confidence to succeed and to know that I had it within me to do so. It was my academic success that led me to pursue my major interests, reading and writing. I wrote my first novel when I was at the College. It was never published—I scrapped it—but I continued to go after my dreams of becoming a published author. It all started coming together for me at Marymount.

In addition to my first two novels, I am working on a novella that will be part of an anthology. And I’ve just successfully negotiated a two-book deal, which includes a sequel to my original novel, now available in German, Dutch and Hungarian.

I write what is commonly referred to in the trade as “chick lit.” I love what I do, but someday I want to break out of the mold and write other types of books. I know that it’s within my reach. Marymount taught me as much.