Student Profiles
Natalie Updike
- What was your major?
- Creative writing and literature with a minor in philosophy.
- Graduation Year?
- 2012
- Hometown?
- Vincennes, IN
- Things you did while attending UE?
- Honors Program—including presentation at the 2012 Sigma Tau Delta literary conference in New Orleans, winner of the George Klinger Memorial Prize for Excellence in Writing, The Ohio River Review co-editor, UE Magazine student editor, Office of Publications copyediting intern, Writers in the Classroom (WITS) which became Student Writers of Indiana (SWIP), Coffee Hours (guest lecturer during the Jane Austen session), Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science intern, Kent State Reading Hemingway intern/independent study, Quidditch Club, Volleyball IMs, founder and member of UE Book Club, Sigma Tau Delta, Phi Eta Sigma, Student Performance Acting Theatre, Wanita De Long writer’s workshop participant.
- Most impressionable experience at UE?
- Harlaxton
- Favorite professor and why?
- Dr. Kristina Hochwender (who is on the Honors Council, I believe)—She helped me discover how intricate and beautiful literature can be, which ultimately inspired me toward graduate school so one day I can, in turn, hopefully, inspire a similar love for literature. Also, she is always open and helpful with courses and outside of class such as with UE Book Club or local library events; she never made me feel inadequate or unable to articulate my concerns or interests. She is truly inspirational.
- Favorite class and why?
- This is hard to say. I liked more or less all of my classes because UE allowed me to be flexible and study what I wanted to study while still developing the skills necessary to succeed at the undergraduate and now graduate level. Many of my “introductory” courses, such as Dr. Colter’s philosophy 121 (which I took as honors) inspired me to continue with a minor in that subject by taking several courses with Dr. Connolly. Similarly, Dr. Hochwender’s literature 330 Jane Austen course introduced me to the first real, intensive study of literature. Though this course was particularly difficult for me at the time, it launched my later ambitions toward multiple literature and creative writing courses especially with Professor McMullan and Dr. Cirino. Though I also took courses such as Dr. Straub’s art history course and Professor Byrne’s U.S. foreign policy course as ways to learn more about subjects that interested me but were not my main focus.
- Clubs and organizations in which you were active and which one meant the most to you and why?
- See answer 4 for a full answer. The one that meant most would probably be UE Book Club because I built the club from ground up with the help of Amy Clutter, Dr. Hochwender, and my college friends. This club was one of the first clubs that not only allowed me to read works which were not considered part of the “literary curriculum” by high-brow scholars, but also it gave me a chance to figure out what I am really interested while giving me a chance to “teach” or communicate in front of an audience. Though I am proud and grateful for my internships and other club opportunities, this club, like philosophy 121 and literature 330 Jane Austen, was a starting point for my undergraduate success.
- What did you like best about the Honors Program?
- I like the variety of courses the Honors Program provides and the option to contract a course. I also like the Honors Program because of the Honors lounge and other resources on campus. What I like most, however, is the opportunities the Honors Program provides for off-campus success. Like I mentioned, I attended the 2012 Sigma Tau Delta conference in New Orleans to present my Honors Project on Victorian animal rights thanks to funding and guidance provided by the Honors Program.
- What have you been doing since graduation?
- Currently, I am a first-year M.A. literature student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I plan to continue on this path until I earn my Ph.D. in literature in order to teach undergraduate and perhaps graduate level courses at a university.
- What are your goals (career, education, life, etc…)?
- At this moment, my goal is to publish literary research concerning females in dystopian works and/or an analysis of children’s or animal right’s literature as well as work toward my goal of becoming a professor. I would also like to lightly delve into research concerning philosophy and museum studies, especially art history writing. While Harlaxton was extremely rewarding, I would like to travel to Egypt, Italy, and Greece to fulfill some of my “life goals.”
- Do you think your Honors Program experiences have helped/will help you reach your goals?
- Definitely. From the little things, like free printing and a quiet place to study, to the larger things, like providing funding and courses that are structured for a higher intellectual challenge, the Honors Program has assisted me in fulfilling my academic goals of reading at a conference and, perhaps, even being admitted to graduate schools because of the notation of “Honors Program” on my transcript and in my personal statement. The Honors Program was rewarding beyond my level of awareness at the time of my undergraduate study.
