How has your HES experience helped you throughout your career journey? How do you expect it to impact your next steps?
When I first started the Creative Writing & Literature Master’s Degree Program, I was completely unsure of what I wanted to do for a career.
I was working at Harvard in an administrative capacity, and while I enjoyed working in an academic setting, I knew I wanted to incorporate my creativity and educational background into my professional day-to-day life.
I’d studied English Literature and Cinema Studies as an undergraduate, and though I also knew I wanted reading and writing to feature heavily in my life, I wasn’t sure exactly what form that would take.
Despite its partially remote nature, Harvard Extension School is a tight-knit community that fosters mentorships and friendships with people from all over the world.
With each passing semester as a student at Harvard, the image became clearer, and I realized that I wanted to become a high school English language arts teacher. In tandem with my studies at HES, I pursued education classes and am now licensed and hoping to begin my new career as a teacher this year.
I credit my experiences at Harvard with helping me realize this dream and equipping me with the knowledge and confidence required of educators.
I’m excited for the future. It’s amazing to look back and see how each class, professor, and classmate was a puzzle piece that came together to form the full life I’m now living.
I’m very thankful for this experience and can say with authenticity that it changed my life.
What did you do for your thesis?
I wrote a full-length stage play titled A Wolf at the Door. I’d written shorter plays previously, but this was my first endeavor at a full-length play, and it was as fulfilling as it was challenging.
Though not autobiographical, I found it cathartic to put my protagonist in situations similar to those I’ve experienced and have her work through them in ways I wish I had.
I learned that all my life experiences — the good, the bad, and the ugly — make strong material for shaping a story.
What’s something unexpected that you learned about Harvard?
Despite its partially remote nature, Harvard Extension School is a tight-knit community that fosters mentorships and friendships with people from all over the world.
I didn’t expect to graduate with such a large network of fellow writers and I feel very fortunate to be doing so.
What are you going to miss the most about HES?
As a Harvard employee, I’ve had the great fortune to spend my days on campus, using my lunch hours for writing in Widener Library and, when weather allows, getting my reading done while sitting in the grass or on the Memorial Church steps in Harvard Yard. I’ll miss those places dearly.
I’m going to miss learning from the incredible Harvard faculty and having the chance to get their invaluable feedback on my work. I’ll also certainly miss the consistent opportunities to read my brilliant classmates’ work, but luckily for me, many have remained friends and creative confidantes.
Describe your HES experience in one word.
Metamorphic.
