Senior Spotlight: Natalie Filipov

Why did you decide to become an English major?

My decision to pursue an undergraduate degree in English was a natural continuation of my lifelong penchant for looking into ground-floor windows while out walking on a pleasant day: I am endlessly fascinated by other people, perennially curious about the structures of their lives, and ravenous for precious insight into their internal worlds.

What clubs, campus groups, internships, outside of class projects have you been involved with? Do you have any leadership roles in these groups?  

For several semesters I hosted various programs alone and with others on WMUC Radio, the university’s student-run radio station. 

What is something you read during class that impacted your worldview?  

I was assigned during my first semester The Elementary Particles, or Atomised, by Michel Houellebecq. Structurally and emotionally it was separate from any novel I had read before; at seventeen I had never interfaced with writing so visceral and upsetting. The book proved increasingly influential as I got older and my understanding of the world changed. Beautiful prose can be wrought from ugliness and sometimes that alone is self-sustaining.

What skills (professional, creative or other) do you think you’ve gotten from the major?

There are so many, but the skill I have gleaned from my undergraduate education that I value the most is interpersonal social fluency.  You can do anything with an English major.

What are you passionate about (or even curious about)?

I am passionate about words and the reparative nature of storytelling.