Having completed my BA at Goddard, I was familiar with the format and model. When I decided to pursue a graduate degree, I did look at other schools but found that none offered the same level of flexibility and freedom that I found at Goddard, so it just made sense to enroll in a program that I knew would support my interests and not require my studies to fit into any one particular category.

Since graduating in August, I’ve been working with The History Project on collecting and preserving Boston’s LGBTQ history. This work has given me the opportunity to explore the various aspects of queer history that have been asymmetrically represented or left out of the historical narratives. Additionally, I’ve done some public speaking on various aspects of queer history and am currently working on two articles; one on early AIDS treatments in Boston and another on the political power of gay pornography.

It is difficult to adequately describe how my Goddard experience changed my life and worldview. As someone that had mostly negative experiences in education, Goddard was the first time anyone encouraged me to explore my areas of interest and gave me the scholarly tools to do so as a critical thinker. It’s broadened my understanding of what is and isn’t “academic” work and ignited a passion that I never knew I would find.

It should also be said that the diversity of the staff, faculty, and students at Goddard has dramatically changed the ways in which I understand and interpret others. Because everyone is studying different subjects from different perspectives, I frequently came up against opinions, interests, and ideas that were antithetical to what I believed to be “true” or “right.” Initially, this was jarring and frustrating, but over time I learned to accept the variety of perspectives and began to see how different ideas and opinions can be an asset in developing a better understanding of any subject.