Senior | Venice, CA

Why did you decide to become an English major?

Aside from really loving to read and write, I’ve always found that studying English has helped my ability to make an argument, to communicate effectively, to listen carefully, to pay attention to detail, and to collaborate with others. Reading, too, is among the best ways to learn about the world. I also love storytelling, and seeing how different people create their own narratives. I like that I get to spend my time thinking about language, and the complexity of language, and too the ways in which words both explain and betray us. I like getting to meet authors and discuss their works with them. Really, being an English major means I can spend my time thinking about and understanding how we tell the stories of who we are, and I think that’s amazing.  

What are your fields of interest? 

I am interested in Creative Non-Fiction and poetry. Right now I am taking the Non-Fiction Master Class and have been spending my time trying to parse out the difference between fact and truth. I am also a Contemporary Literature Series fellow!  

What are you reading right now? 

Right now I am re-reading An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel. It is such a dark and beautiful book. I am also reading How to be Drawn by Terrance Hayes (everyone should go see Hayes read if they have the chance!) and a collection of Kafka short stories. 

What is your favorite class taken in the department thus far? 

That’s a hard question. I have loved so many. I got to take a Master class with Zadie Smith which was pretty amazing. We read everything from Forster to Foster-Wallace and learned how to really discuss literature as a group. By the end of the semester the students in the class could sit together for three hours and just discuss a novel. I really think that’s an amazing gift, to be able to talk freely and with openness about a book while consistently generating new ideas and questions. 

What’s been your favorite part about being an English major so far? 

Aside from getting to read and write for my major, I just love the English Department’s events at NYU and getting to be such an active part of them. I love seeing contemporary authors read. It’s really amazing to be a part of this community right now and to be in NYC. I have to remind myself how rare it is to be able to hear authors read their own work aloud.  

What advice would you give to students considering majoring in English at NYU? 

Read, read, read. Especially over the summer. And explore all the bookstores and libraries in NYC!