Senior Spotlight: Kara Thompson
December 10, 2021
Fall 2021 graduating senior Kara Thompson is passionate about writing and research and interested in pursuing a career in communications or development.
Why did you decide to become an English major?
I decided to become an English major because I’m passionate about writing and reading. I like to read all different genres of literature, such as fiction and magical realism.
What clubs, campus groups, internships, outside of class projects have you been involved with?
I’ve been working as a research assistant at the Early Archive of American Texts, where I wrote a digital transcript of a seventeenth century document called “Mourt’s Relation”. I learned about OCR, or optical character recognition, and I used the MLA Bibliography to find more information on people mentioned in the article, such as Edward Winslow and Calvinism. I got involved in this project because I wanted to learn more about seventeenth century literature and practice my writing skills.
I also work as an administrative volunteer at the National Center for Missing Children, where I research different companies to be potential partners, or sponsors for the organization. I got involved in this project because I wanted to use my data entry skills to help children in need.
I’m also involved in Undergraduate Technology Apprenticeship Program (UTAP), a technology apprenticeship program where I helped to create a public-facing website, via Google Sites and Adobe Spark, for a professor of English. I used Creative Commons and the British Museum to find images for the website.
What is something you read during class that impacted your worldview?
Reading The Monk and other eighteenth-century literature in ENGL 455 was interesting in how gender is portrayed and how these ideas play a role in modern day life and gender roles. I also enjoyed readings from the Asian American Diaspora, such as “Epithelium” and Sun Sin Far’s works in ENGL 349J.
What skills (professional, creative or other) do you think you’ve gotten from the major?
I’ve developed writing and research skills through being an English major. As an English major, you learn a lot about how literature applies to everyday life and make connections to modern life. I enjoyed taking ENGL 398N: Writing for Nonprofit Organizations and using professional writing skills to learn about how nonprofits help various groups of people.
What is your dream job or career?
My dream job is something that involves writing and research, such as a development job or a communications job.
What are you passionate about (or even curious about)?
I’d like to learn more about how gender is portrayed in various literature and media, as well as how people with disabilities are depicted in the media.