I’ve always had a knack for writing. I remember asking my mother for a typewriter when I was in the first grade. Once I got my hands on it, eight-year-old me was disappointed to realize that I didn’t have the vocabulary and sophistication to translate what I felt and thought onto paper in the way I wished to. It was slightly discouraging. However, I grew into this skill with experience and time. In the seventh grade, a poem I wrote about my Marine brother was published in a national student poetry collection. Novels and poems fascinated my young, overactive, and sensitive mind. I found solace in stories, but when it came time to apply to college I took a different route.
Following in the footsteps of my older brother Shawn, who was very influential in my personal growth from the age of sixteen, I joined the Air Force. While serving, I was a C-130J loadmaster in Jacksonville, Arkansas. I was very successful, earning accolades in my profession, and I developed many leadership skills that became essential to my worldview and how I operate. However, I had somewhat neglected my passion for written words. After honorably separating, I was in a sort of dilemma when it came to choosing my bachelor’s major for college. I wanted job security, but I also wanted to explore literature in more depth. After much thought, I decided to follow my heart by choosing English as my major.
Through this major, I learned much about literature, but I also realized that I was fascinated with film. Therein I spent years analyzing, dissecting, and synthesizing literature and film. The first in-depth research paper I wrote was during my Introduction to English Studies class at College of Charleston. I chose to focus on defending the stance that manga should be included in literary study and designated higher categorization. From this research paper, which required in depth critical thinking and problem-solving, a passion for the unconventional was born.
I prioritized the remainder of my classes on literary and film topics which embodied the unconventional. One of these classes was German Cinema in Exile: Film Noir, during which I learned the making of these films focused on displacement and perception. As an Air Force veteran, I was very intrigued by the themes of displacement and reintegration in WWII Veteran Noir films. For my research paper in this class, I analyzed in-depth The Blue Dahlia (1946) and Act of Violence (1948) with mental health as a main concern. This solidified for me even more that I have a niche for defending the unconventional: works, ideas, and opinions that are often overlooked or misunderstood.
Like George Anders states in his 2017 book ‘You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a “Useless” Liberal Arts Education,’ I was continually finding myself “ripe for an unusual new challenge” which is a unique disposition all employers seek out in applicants. My character developed as a child engaging with stories, adapting to a new environment as an Air Force loadmaster, and as a student in literary and film studies exemplifies I’m “bound to…leap into the unknown” (83). Moreover, I’ve found immense joy in doing so.
By focusing on the unconventional, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of myself as well as those unlike myself. This reflects my propensity for and development of empathy and improvisation, which are key in any workplace. I also took an American Gothic Literature class, which focused heavily on how gothic works raise essential questions in modern society from racism, patriarchal values, perception, and mental health. Analyzing and writing about the unconventional transitions smoothly into the workforce as many employers are looking for those “wanting to work on the frontier, being able to find insights, choosing the right approach, reading the room, and inspiring others” (179). This natural inclination of mine has been honed through my military background and studies of literature and film at College of Charleston.
Like Christian Madsbjerg states in his 2017 book ‘Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm,’ in a rapidly developing world focused on progressivism, “we need to learn through experience, and what we learn doesn’t have the same precision, rigor, or consistency as algorithms” (xi). Through my studies and focus on the unconventional, I’ve developed a deep understanding of social culture and “unspoken rules,” human behavior in greater cultural context, complexities which exist in our world, observation and theory making, as well as assumptions versus interpretation and strategy.
In any field, it’s paramount to be able “to understand new and unfamiliar contexts– political, technological, cultural– and to interpret their place in our increasingly interdependent world” (22). My studies and skills I’ve developed along the way have positioned me well for conquering such challenges. Additionally, my experience in the Air Force and in executive leadership positions on-campus have honed my capacities for communicating with a wide variety of people from multiple backgrounds. While I was in the Air Force, I was in charge of leading others to ensure safe loading and airdrop procedures of cargo on a multi-million dollar aircraft. I exemplified the skills necessary to complete multiple objectives and work well under pressure. Moreover, on-campus leadership positions further developed my skills to adapt, re-invent, communicate effectively, and accomplish associated goals. As an English major, I’ve been met with many challenges, but I’ve mastered the skills necessary to overcome them. Though I’m not entirely sure what I want to pursue next, my experiences will translate immensely well in the professional sphere and I’ll be a key asset to whichever profession I choose.