I’ve done so much more at Bridgewater than I thought I could do when I first chose to come here. I get to explore something I’m passionate about.
Rising Bridgewater State University seniors Anna Connor and Haiden Powers traveled to Philadelphia last semester to present their undergraduate research at the College English Association Conference. According to Ann Brunjes, professor of English and department chairperson, this was sort of a unique situation.
“It’s unusual for undergrads to present at professional conferences in our field,” Brunjes said.
Encouraged by English Professor Benjamin Carson, Anna and Haiden decided to participate and found it to be less intimidating than they initially worried.
“This was my first time presenting at a conference. I thought it was going to be terrifying…I didn’t have fears that people would be mean, but was worried about our depth,” Haiden said. “But what we found were people were unpretentious; everyone was normal and nice.”
Anna appreciated the experience and the knowledge gained from the conference panels.
“I think I asked a question at every single one, I was more comfortable asking questions than I thought I would be. It was a really great environment,” she said.
For Anna’s presentation, her love of Edith Wharton led her to discover the author’s The Glimpses of the Moon.
“I read it on a whim over winter break and fell in love with it and started doing my own research,” she said.
That led to Anna’s paper, “The Possibility of Happiness,” that explores the contradictions, difficulties, and imperfections of happiness and romance.
For his presentation, Haiden chose to do a detailed analysis of a passage of Season of Migration to the North written by Tayeb Salih.
“It’s a novel about post-colonialism in Africa,” Haiden said. “For the most part it criticizes white modern liberals. While advocating for the right thing, it’s rooted in bad logic and comes across as condescending, like a pat on the head.”
Both agree that having these opportunities through BSU, especially as English majors, is important.
“So many times I have friends ask, what are you doing your research on? What does that mean? They think it’s about reading books, and don’t realize it’s important work,” Anna said.
Haiden often experiences similar curiosities, peers questioning the value of a humanities degree.
Reading is one thing, he said, “But you have to be able to think critically about what they are looking at and how it’s being presented.”
“I think people underestimate how much an English degree builds empathy,” Anna added. “There are so many lessons I’ve learned from reading novels, like how to interact in a relationship and how different actions affect other people.”
Anna admits she initially came to BSU because it was affordable, but is now grateful for the many opportunities the university offers.
“At Bridgewater, everybody (who wants to) can do important work and contribute to their field” Anna said. “I’ve done so much more at Bridgewater than I thought I could do when I first chose to come here. I get to explore something I’m passionate about.”
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