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English Senior Spotlight: Tyler Urquhart

May 17, 2022 English

English senior smiling next to a canal in Italy.

English senior Tyler Urquhart is on the media studies track.

Leaning tower of Pisa

Why did you decide to become an English major?

I chose the English major for a number of reasons, but I can attribute the choice mostly to the phenomenal English teachers I had in high school who greatly expanded my mind through their choices of literature and engaging discussions. This major was a way for me to explore my curiosity in stories told through all mediums across cultures and times. I grew new ways of
thinking, speaking, and writing, and this major allowed me to explore parts of myself and learn about other people in ways that I hadn’t previously had the vocabulary or worldview to understand.

Tell us about your study abroad experience:

Studying abroad in Florence, Italy was incredibly fruitful and greatly impacted my worldview. I would say I had more reverse culture shock coming back to the US than I did arriving in Italy. I had always wanted to travel, but was too afraid to go on my own. Study abroad was the perfect container for this dream to be achieved, offering an environment where I could easily make friends and learn on my own how to engage with new cultures and take travels into my own hands.

I met incredible people fueled by a love of adventure and an openness to new experiences that inspired me and bonded me to them in ways that felt new and complex. I am very grateful and lucky to have had the opportunity to study abroad: it was my senior semester and it could easily have passed me by. I can surely say it is one of the most fun, inspiring, and eye opening experiences I have ever had and the memories will mean so much to me throughout my life. I would no doubt recommend it to everyone!

English study smiling in Italy.

What is something you read during the major that impacted your worldview?

One of my favorite books I read was “Fun Home: A family tragicomic” by Alison Bechdel. I read this in a class solely featuring graphic novels, which is a reading medium that I hadn’t explored much prior to the class. The book (a true story) focuses on Bechdel’s struggles with her family, queerness, mental illness, and grief, and is so poignantly told through illustrations and prose. The intersectionality of queerness and mental illness that is explored in this work is quite realistic and is a great catalyst for creating empathy around these topics.

What is your dream job or career?

This is definitely a question I am still grappling with. My dream job, per say, would be to work for National Geographic as a writer and photographic journalist, which would allow me to travel, explore different cultures, and tell unique stories. But there are many other ways I could potentially find a dream job that aligns with those desires.

What are you passionate about (or even curious about)?

I’m very passionate about mental health awareness and have a deep curiosity in psychology. I think that the rise in stress, mental illness, and suicide is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity right now. Mental health impacts everyone in nuanced ways and interconnects between all of our relationships, the workforce, our politics and our goals as a collective. I would be very interested in contributing to the work in this field somehow.