Luis Rojas was born and raised in the small municipality of Trujillo Alto in Puerto Rico. He enrolled in the GLS program in the summer of 2019. We talked to him about his experience starting on campus and transitioning to distance learning amid the Covid-19 pandemic, how the GLS program has advanced his writing, and about his hopes for the future.
How far along are you in the program?
I have been in the program for a little over a year now. If all goes well, I should be graduating in the summer of 2021.
What first attracted you to the program and why?
My undergraduate degree was in multidisciplinary studies. A neighbor told me about Wesleyan and explained that they had a similar program where they encourage students to broaden their knowledge by studying in different areas. This immediately caught my attention and after contacting the University, I opted for this program.
How would you describe the in-person classes? Which one was your favorite?
Courses feel welcoming and challenging without being overwhelming. Professors are considerate and willing to help whenever needed, which has been great for me and is something that you sometimes fear might not be the case when you go into a class. So far, my favorite classes have been with Prof. Anne Greene, she is incredibly lovely and intelligent, clearly well prepared and knowledgeable and helpful. Her courses have expanded my horizons about the types of novels that I enjoy reading. As someone who also enjoys writing and wishes to improve, she would always give fantastic prompts and point us in the right direction if we were looking for inspiration or reference for style and substance.
How has the classroom changed?
The most obvious change has been the lack of physical interaction and that has been for me the biggest loss. Not being able to see people and speak to them directly rather than on a computer screen has made things difficult. I also enjoy being able to visit a professor at their office to discuss important matters, and working via the computer feels hollow. There have been positives, such as the convenience of screen sharing which has made discussions more interesting.
What has been your biggest accomplishment during your GLS Studies?
For one of the aforementioned classes with Prof. Anne Greene, I wrote my first short story book. I compiled ten of the prompts from the classes I had taken with her and turned them into a book of short stories. I have continued to edit and improve the stories in the hope that someday I can publish it and develop my writing skills even further and to this day this short story book and my thesis from my bachelors’ degree remain as two of my proudest pieces of writing in my academic career.
What were your original plans and how have they changed?
My intentions were to establish good relationships, get my master’s degree and eventually pursue a doctorate in literature. So far, these plans are still in the works and I am gaining continuously more fruitful knowledge from the courses offered by this program. I have slowly pushed myself to be more ambitious and work harder to develop other pieces in writing, particularly essays to help grow as a person and try to understand my own feelings regarding modern day issues.
What advice would you have?
Make the most of your resources. The Graduate Liberal Studies program is blessed with incredible people who will not think twice to help you out. Dr. Glenn Knight, the assistant director for the program, has gone above and beyond to help me get settled and feel at home. The resources that the program and University by extension provide are incredible and I thoroughly miss not being able to access them directly.