Major: Master of Arts in Cultural Studies
BA, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences: Culture, Literature, and the Arts, UW Bothell, 2009
My favorite kinds of academic writing are critical theory, research papers, and art history
I began my academic career at UW Seattle in 1978 with a clear plan: get a BA in Political Science, go to law school, and then practice intellectual property law for forty or fifty years. But as Robert Burns observed, “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry,” and two years later I dropped out to start a family. For the next thirty years “life happened,” but I never gave up my dream of a college education.
In 2007 my dream came true and I finally returned to college at our neighboring school, Cascadia Community College. I graduated in 2008 and transferred to UW Bothell where I earned my BA the next summer in IAS: Culture, Literature, and the Arts. My interests had shifted over the years, and instead of law school I entered the MA in Cultural Studies program. My new goal is to earn a PhD and to teach and write at the university level.
I admit to being an academic geek. I can’t remember the last time a day went by that I did not read and write something. I have researched and written entire papers that weren’t even for any class. Two summers ago, for example, I wrote an extensive paper on the meaning of the song “American Pie”—just for fun. Currently, I’m doing some “side research” on split brain theory and bioethics—it’s fascinating!
The Writing Center is the place where I get to share my passion for research and writing with my peers. I love working with students at all stages of the university experience, from CUSP to graduate school. My favorite part of the process is when students come up with brilliant, elegant solutions to a writing problem—watching the proverbial light bulb come on over their heads is like magic!