BA in English

Ana Carolina Machado Silva, 2017

Ana Carolina Machado Silva
How did you decide on the English major?
I've known I wanted to major in American Literature since middle school. My love for poetry and literature started with a dedicated 5th grade teacher in New Jersey, Ms. Snyder, who read aloud to us each day, and encouraged us to attend poetry readings and participate in the Reflections Program. 
 
Are you minoring or double majoring in anything else?  If so, how do the two work together—or separately?
My minor is Religious Studies. They work together seamlessly! Most of religious studies scholarship consists of analyzing religious texts, interpreting them and joining other scholarly discourse in regard to variations in interpretation and practical applications. 
 
What have you learned in an English class that really surprised you or changed your perspective?
Prof. Lathbury, Prof. Harvey and Prof. Rutledge really challenged my Western points of view and made me think of literature beyond the American, Western, English standpoint and as having a global impact on immigrants, emigrants and expatriates. Prof. Lathbury showed me that you don't have to love a text in order to have it impact your point of view. Prof. Fraser showed me that folklore encompasses many of our interactions, and how storytelling is an art.
 
Tell us about your dream occupation.
My dream occupation is definitely text analysis either in an intelligence setting, using my foreign language skills, or in a religious text analysis position. I'd like to be a part of the discourse surrounding what makes certain nationalities' religious practices so different from other nationalities within the same imam, denomination, etc.
 
Tell us about the interesting internships, jobs, and volunteer experiences you’ve had.  
There have been so many! It's a common myth that English Lit. majors end up with limited job options. I have found so many associated with this major! Not only have I tutored ESL for three months at Blue Ridge Literacy, but I've also been the Editor-in-Chief of several publications on campus, and I currently work as the Social Media, Marketing and Event Specialist at Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). This is a job which requires a multitude of complex communication skills to complete daily tasks; everything requires precise language, from synthesizing grant proposals and letters of inquiry, to writing letters for donations, to communicating my vision for a volunteer appreciation event with the caterer and florist.
 
What accomplishments are you proud of?  What opportunities have you taken advantage of?  Brag!
I'm incredibly proud of my interview with Alumni Association former President Chris Preston my sophomore year as the Editor-in-Chief for the yearbook on campus, GMView. Reading about the interview does not even begin to compare to being there for the interview. They are two different experiences. His advice was succinct and wonderful. I also interviewed three other alumni, who were incredible founts of information and who later became LinkedIn contacts. 
 
I'm incredibly proud of a wonderful letter from Prof. Lathbury, which I've kept to this day, about the "insight" and "global perspective" I brought to the classroom. He is the only teacher capable of convincing me to sign up for a class where Moby Dick is read, after I had sworn repeatedly that I would not go within a two-mile radius of a Melville text.
 
Finally, I'm proud of making it through Medieval Literature with Prof. Rutledge, who is a sincere teacher, an incredible storyteller and a brutal grader.
 
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.
I am not a native English speaker, and am currently learning my fifth language this semester, Arabic. When you tell people you're an English major and not a TOEFL candidate, they expect your unaccented speech is that of a native born American.