English Major Spotlight: Bernadette Rechek

As a Fellow of the Hertog Foundation’s summer program this major spent six weeks in Washington, DC studying political theory
Person in hat, grey shirt, and shorts in front of snow-capped peaks

Year: Junior
Hometown: Altoona, WI

Why did you choose to major in English?

First, I’m passionate about English. I have always loved writing and reading. Growing up, I realized I had a knack for English class-type skills. I also have been and will forever be a book nerd. Second, I think an English major is an incredibly versatile degree. I hope to go into educational policy after college, and, like many jobs, my hopeful career area will involve lots of reading, writing, analysis, and communication skills. 

What has been your favorite part of your experience in the department?

I have loved getting to read books and authors that I’ve heard of, but never got to read in high school. It’s always exciting to read a work that has survived history and get to determine what is so special about it for myself. 

Are you pursuing any majors, minors, internships, or interests outside your English major?

I am pursuing the Certificate in Editing & Publishing, as I’m considering a career in that field. I am also a Developmental Psychology major! In order to hopefully make decisions in the educational policy field, I decided it is necessary to learn everything I can about children’s development. I’m a founder and the president of the Minnesota Shakespeare Society (a required English class led me to it!), and I choreograph and dance in a club called the Dance Collective. I am a student network member for an organization of the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression: another passion of mine is ensuring that students know their legal rights to express themselves and their opinions, especially college students on campus. Last summer, I was a Political Studies Fellow with the Hertog Foundation: for six weeks, I lived with other fellows in Washington, DC, and studied political theory. I am currently preparing to be a TA for one of Hertog’s winter term courses on Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises!

What is a favorite book you read for a UMN English class? 

I read To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf in my "British Literature II" course with Professor Andrew Elfenbein. I loved reading this book; it was so unique and changed my perception of what a novel could be. 

What English course would you especially recommend?

I would recommend taking "Textual Analysis: Methods"! I took this class as a freshman with Lecturer Heather Holcombe, and I absolutely loved it. I learned so much about the history of literature analysis, and it made me feel excited to be an English major. 

If you studied abroad, what did you take away from the experience? 

I studied abroad last May for three weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I studied Spanish 1004 there, but of course study abroad is so much more than the classes you take! I learned that art is so unique to culture, but it is also somehow universal as something that brings us together. I’d highly recommend studying abroad, even for as short a time as I did, if you can.

 

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