Phoebe Myers (Class of 2019)

photo of Phoebe Myers

  • junior Individualized Studies major
  • self-designed major focused on individual empowerment and social change
  • from Oxford, OH
  • writing consultant for the Howe Writing Center
  • interned in San Francisco for nonprofit organization 826 Valencia (J-Term 2016)
  • Undergraduate Summer Scholar (Summer 2017)
"My exposure to various English, creative writing, and social justice courses at Miami gave me the academic background, but my San Francisco internship and work at Howe Writing Center has proven that there are ways to connect my interests together. The physical act of writing creatively can be like a supplement to living an individual, happy life, and for me this was the crossing point into social justice issues. How I can help people find a voice for their different experiences, especially when their voices aren't often heard, is where I am focused."

Why Miami?

Phoebe Myers (right) with her mother and inspiration Lynne, co-founder of Project Dragonfly

"I grew up here in Oxford, because my parents are Miami mergers who both help run a master's program, Project Dragonfly, here in the Department of Biology. As a child I always loved seeing my parents work in this innovative program that incorporates both online and field courses with 16 different countries where students can study. It was clear to me that Miami is willing to support such a unique, globally-minded program, so that gave me a sense of trust with the university. That played a big reason for me deciding to study here.

"I began as a journalism major but changed during my first year because I discovered that I was more interested in the creative side of writing, especially after I took my Introduction to Creative Writing class my very first semester. That course, taught by assistant professor of English Daisy Hernandez, was the turning point. The course covered all the bases, having us spend weeks on poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

"This was my first exposure to creative writing, and Professor Hernandez really pushed us to work on the professional side of our writing, not solely for class but also for writing contests and other publications. I was totally shocked by how her personal involvement felt like she treated all her students as individuals and paid such close attention to their academic work. I took two other creative writing classes with her, and this is how my path to the Western Program and my individualized studies major started.

"Since then, I've been taking around an equal number of Western classes and creative writing courses, and it’s been working out really well."

Best Miami Experiences

Phoebe Myers and friend on top of a mountain in Cuba

"Two amazing experiences I've had at Miami were studying abroad in Cuba and Luxembourg, and they both led to my Undergraduate Summer Scholars research project with Daisy Hernandez on Cuban Americans and how they use art, writing, and other forms of expression to explore what American citizenship means to them individually — rather than as a governmental policy.

"Since my sophomore year I've been a writing consultant for the Howe Writing Center, and it's been great to examine how writing works for different students and working with them on their projects in a collaborative way. It's not a matter of teaching them what to do, but to try to understand their own perspectives and experiences. I want to write for social change, and to do so you have to be exposed to different backgrounds and thoughts about writing.

"The Western Program has been an important part of my development as a socially conscious writer, and all the faculty there have been fantastic. I had an associate professor for an interesting course called Self and Place [WST 201], and he is very invested in getting his students involved in their local communities and thinking about how to become more active and aware citizens.

"My entire experience in the Western Program has been focused on the idea of approaching problems in an interdisciplinary fashion, and this is going to be very useful for me in any field I choose after graduation. In my career I want take an interconnected perspective at the world to understand how things got to be this way. I've learned that you can't just look at a problem from one narrow discipline, and realizing this has been very helpful."

Miami and the Liberal Arts

Selection of Cuban poet's books on display in Havana

"Within the liberal arts, I've found that professors really seem to love teaching and are particularly invested in their students. They encourage students to step outside their comfort zone and come into contact with different viewpoints, and whether it is the views of your classmates or people on the other side of the world, this is definitely a key advantage.

"My creative nonfiction writing was inspired in part by my parents' creation of Project Dragonfly, which used to publish a children's magazine on scientific investigations, and I grew up learning how to live green and care about the environment. My overall interest in all kinds of social justice issues has been hard to separate since they are very interconnected. It comes from the desire to help others who are not often heard or represented in writing — it started with feminism and proceeded from there.

"As a freshman, I was thinking about I could connect these two interests — writing and social justice — together. I told Western Program advisor and coordinator Zack Hill about this, and he helped me look through the Miami course list and put together my specific individualized studies plan. By going through the course catalog like this, you can make sure your studies line up with your topic. Since my plan may change, it's flexible, but it has been a very good framework that includes not only classes, but also other opportunities, like study abroad or working at the Howe Writing Center.

"At the end of that semester, I had to defend my plan in front of most of the Western faculty and some older students, and they made a lot of helpful suggestions. This has been incredibly helpful and another reason why I feel the liberal arts are so important."

Linking Creative Writing to Social Justice

"For my first J-Term as a freshman, I went to San Francisco to work at a nonprofit writing center called 826 Valencia, co-founded by the author Dave Eggers. The organization has different chapters throughout the country, but at its original location in San Francisco it focuses on giving kids more access and practice with creative writing — letting them discover their innate power to write.

"Because I like working with kids and have been interested in social justice issues, I looked at the 826 Valencia website to learn about potential internships. They didn't have any internships open at that moment, but  I decided to email them anyways to let them know I was really interested in their mission and would be available for 5 or 6 weeks in the winter even if it didn't take the form of their traditional internship. They called me, gave me an interview over the phone, and then basically said, 'Sure, come on down!' I had just turned 19, and it felt awesome to realize that I was on my way to San Francisco!

"I worked there 9-to-5, Monday through Friday, in a variety of programs. The main one was an after-school program at a local elementary school, which was specifically targeted at kids who were falling through the academic cracks. My coworkers and I sat down with kids in grades 3 through 5 to work on different themes each week — written advertisements, collaborative poetry, and much more.  Brainstorming ideas with the kids was amazing, and seeing the dedication of my co-workers, some of whom had been working with 826 Valencia for years, filled me with inspiration.

"Later, in the spring, the organization sent me a copy of the final published project. I could see the students I worked with along with their written creations in an actual book. I just knew that if I was a kid and had my own work recognized in an actual book I would be so excited — it would change my ideas about writing!

"Back here at Miami and the Howe Writing Center, I wanted to continue what I had started in San Francisco. Of course the age group is much different, where I'm working with my peers and sometimes even older grad students, but the goal is similar. My work there has opened my eyes to how different everyone's writing can be. It's important to remember that people approach writing with a vast array of backgrounds, and these days it sometimes feels like published writing from all disciplines is produced into a monolithic style. It seems that our cultural hegemony makes us value only specific things, when in reality good writing has many different forms. I think people forget this a lot, and my experiences inside and outside my major have given me a passion for writing that supports individual empowerment and social change.

"My exposure to various English, creative writing, and social justice courses at Miami gave me the academic background, but my San Francisco internship and work at Howe Writing Center has proven that there are ways to connect my interests together. The physical act of writing creatively can be like a supplement to living an individual, happy life, and for me this was the crossing point into social justice issues. How I can help people find a voice for their different experiences, especially when their voices aren't often heard, is where I am focused. I am really glad that in San Francisco I learned that the physical act of writing, not just studying literature, is key to this.

"My work with 826 Valencia led to an independent study for my major, and overlapping it with my experiences at the writing center has shown me how I can connect those two spheres together."

Advice to Students

"Recently I heard a quote, 'With freedoms come accountabilities.' I don't know the source, but what I love about the liberal arts at Miami and the Western Program is that having a lot of freedom can initially stop some people. Some are very comfortable with that level of choice, but it could scare others from trying.

"However, the faculty at Miami will help you all along the way in determining what you want to do. In the end, having a self-designed education that really follows your interests is invaluable — but you have to recognize what you want and then follow through to get it!

"Do not be afraid to ask for opportunities. As some say, 'If you don't ask, the answer will always be no.' It takes time, and even when you ask it is not always going to get accepted. You have to become immune to the fear of rejection — rejection from one thing does not mean everything. The worst anyone can say is no, but if you're genuinely interested you can always find opportunities. Keep your eyes open, be vocal, and ask around!"

[March 2018]