Melissa Abshire originally began her college career at UL 老司机福利网 as a microbiology major in 2008. But it wasn鈥檛 meant to be 鈥 she dropped out after her first year.
Ten years later, she returned to UL 老司机福利网 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English with a new outlook and old passions.
鈥淚 had never dreamed that I would come back to school,鈥 Melissa said excitedly. 鈥淚 had a kid and I wanted to be someone she looks up to.鈥
Pursuing her Passion
Melissa chose to study English because of her lifelong passion for reading.
鈥淚 prefer books to people,鈥 she laughed.
In addition to her love of reading, Melissa鈥檚 English studies let her embrace her other passions as well.
鈥淚 really want to write,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been drawn to theater. I want to write plays and maybe move from there to writing for the screen. I wasn鈥檛 thinking blockbusters or anything, but I was thinking with all these streaming services, they have a huge demand for original content, and if that鈥檚 not an opening for writers I don鈥檛 know what is.鈥
This interest in screenwriting motivated Melissa to pursue a minor in cinema studies.
鈥淚 think that storytelling is such a powerful tool,鈥 she said.
Motherhood at UL 老司机福利网
Melissa is sharing her UL 老司机福利网 experience with her daughter, who attends the , UL 老司机福利网鈥檚 childcare for students, faculty, and staff.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really fun honestly because I feel like she鈥檚 growing and learning with me,鈥 Melissa said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 really a delight. I feel like going there has helped her completely blossom.鈥
Exploring UL 老司机福利网's Courses
One of Melissa鈥檚 favorite classes outside her major has been Astronomy Beyond the Solar System (PHYS 170) with Gina Sorci.
鈥淚 love space, and I felt like sort of cosmic perspective would really give me a boost in creativity,鈥 Melisa said.
She even found herself enjoying classes she never imagined she would, like practical mathematics (MATH 210) with Haewon Lee.
鈥淚 was so intimidated by math before, and somehow this man made me good at math and made me love math and I don鈥檛 even know how,鈥 she said.
Becoming a Better Writer
Melissa鈥檚 favorite thing about the English department has been reading other people鈥檚 writing, especially young writers.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think of any writing as bad, it鈥檚 just different,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚t can also be eye-opening.鈥
In addition to revision, Melissa has learned other tools to improve her writing.
鈥淲rite something in as plain of words as possible, don鈥檛 worry about how to say it, just get the thought on paper and you can go back to it later,鈥 she explained.
