by Emily Tworek, Class of 2020
Hi everyone! My name is Emily Tworek, and I’m a rising senior at the University of Rochester studying English, theatre, and business, with a minor in Spanish and certificate in literary translation studies. Whew, that was a mouthful. I’m originally from Edinboro, Pennsylvania, which is just south of Erie.
When I came into college, I knew that I wanted to study English and theatre, but I wasn’t sure how to do so without also having to add on a million other required courses that I wasn’t interested in taking (sorry, bio majors, your classes aren’t for me). Because of that, Rochester immediately appealed to me with its flexible curriculum. I knew I’d be able to study what I wanted with room to explore other interests as well. And explore them I did!
During my time at the University, I added on a whole new major, minor, and certificate program onto the plan I had when I first came into college. This is pretty common among Rochester students, many of whom discover a new passion while in college and add it into their plan of study, either through a minor, major, or Take 5 program. We have the flexibility to explore our interests to the fullest, and we absolutely take advantage of that.
Outside of my academic interests, I chose to dive in to student activities, which has been the best decision I’ve made since coming to college. Student activities gave me a second family, and allowed me to connect with people I would not have gotten the chance to strictly through classes. While many Rochester students may be a part of numerous groups across a range of interests, I chose to focus on theatre: my passion and my future career path.
I got involved with both The Opposite of People Theatre Company and ROC Players, both in different capacities, and have absolutely loved working with them both! Stay tuned for future blog posts about what it’s like to be a part of student organizations at Rochester to hear about my experiences in more detail. For now, I’ll just say that student organizations at Rochester provide unparalleled opportunities for leadership and connection with fellow students. My advice: get involved as soon as you can. No matter your interest, there’s an organization who can support you, and if not, creating your own club is easy to do!
I also work multiple jobs on campus to help support myself and give back to the campus community. The opportunities for employment on campus are certainly numerous, and there are definitely opportunities to fit every interest.
I’ve also been a part of a few niche programs on campus that I love to talk about when given the chance. I’ve studied abroad with the English department, lived in special interest housing and off campus, been a part of the Humanities for Life Internship program (more on this later), created my own workshop, and have been to a professional conference through the generosity of a Rochester alum! I’ll talk about these experiences more in future blog posts, but they’re all great opportunities to explore for any student interested in the humanities.
I’m so excited to show you all a little more about life as a humanities student here at Rochester! Meliora!