"With the liberal arts you get the full spectrum of science, English, and the humanities, which is really special. I talk to a lot of students who have said that without Miami's liberal arts curriculum they would not have experienced many of the classes and activities that have really broadened their views."
Why Miami?
"I chose Miami because I was accepted to the University Academic Scholars Program, which provides scholarships and a unique living community for incoming students. I was also really interested in doing study abroad, which I knew Miami is really big on.
"I had already come in as a major in professional writing, but my first year was a little rough at first—it took time for me to really find my place. I lived in Peabody Hall on the Western Campus, which is a bit far from the center, but I gradually became more involved with different events and found new friends. I love that Miami gives so many different kinds of opportunities to connect with professors, especially those who serve as ambassadors for their programs.
"My professional writing major led me towards my major in English literature, which I declared as a sophomore. Last fall, I added my minor in women's, gender & sexuality studies (WGS), which I learned about from working with associate professor of global & intercultural studies Ann Fuehrer, who also coordinates the program."
Best Miami Experiences
Jessi Wright (R) and 2 other students at the Fall 2016 His/Her/Hirstory Symposium
"My work with Dr. Fuehrer has led me to some of my biggest and best experiences as a Miami student. I first met her when I took her experiential learning WGS 402 course, where we planned the His/Her/Hirstory Symposium in November 2016 based on the presidential election. The whole process was very exciting — I did most of the graphics, arranged a lot of the programming for the speakers, created the buttons, the stickers, the t-shirts.
"After my work on the symposium, I've continued my involvement with Dr. Fuehrer as an independent researcher and Undergraduate Associate (UA). I've been working with her on a video interview web series about some of the women that started the National Organization for Women in Oxford and Miami. I've also collaborated with senior library technician Lindsey Masters and digital scholarship librarian Jodi Perkins, both at the Center for Digital Scholarship in King Library, on a WGS capstone website. Dr. Fuehrer has given me many opportunities at Miami, and for that I'm so grateful! She has been my professor for 4 semesters, and I've done research with her and served as a UA for both her capstone WGS 401 and 402 courses.
"Last summer, I also went on a study abroad trip with the Literary London program, which was great. I was in a group of 20-30 students led by associate professor of English Kaara Peterson. We took writing classes, saw Shakespearean plays, and worked with various companies as interns (my internship was at a magazine called This Is London), all in London and the surrounding areas."
Miami and the Liberal Arts
Setting sun glares through Stonehenge in England.
"With the liberal arts you get the full spectrum of science, English, and the humanities, which is really special. I talk to a lot of students who have said that without Miami's liberal arts curriculum they would not have experienced many of the classes and activities that have really broadened their views.
"My WGS 402 course was one of the best courses I've taken at Miami, and it's led me to so many interesting projects. But during Literary London, Dr. Peterson taught a fantastic Shakespeare course that has also become one of my favorites. It included the opportunity for us to see a live Shakespeare play almost every single week.
"We saw one play in Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born, and we also saw Twelfth Night in The Globe, the famous historic theatre that has operated since Shakespeare's time. The Globe is open air, with two tiers of seats, plus an area on the bottom reserved for what they call the 'groundlings.' It was fun to sit in the groundlings area or just stand in the crowd during the play, imagining what it was like around 400 years ago!
"I hope to be a publisher or a copy editor one day, perhaps eventually working up to editor and publisher. It's all because I love to read, especially Victorian literature such as from my favorite author Thomas Hardy. I can appreciate all kinds of eras and all different genres, and I always believed that if I could make a job out of reading, that would be great!"
Exploring the World of Shakespeare for Literary London
Jessi discusses her immersive cultural and professional experiences in London, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, and more during last summer's Literary London program.
"My most important advice is to make sure that you always branch out — you might not know what you are interested in until you're forced to do something about it. Try things that you normally wouldn't, and connect with your professors. You'll miss out on a lot if you don't!
"In my case, I wasn't particularly keen on Shakespeare, but once I directly experienced the culture of the Elizabethan era in London and saw where much of it had taken place, Shakespeare and his plays took on a whole new meaning. Something clicked — it just made sense, and now I love it.
"Just remember that Miami isn't 'it' — in other words, there's so much more beyond our campus. Be humble and make sure you don't act like you've already made it!"
Miami University Oxford, Ohio est. 1809
College of Arts and Science
