Mary Ann Miller Bates

Partial Transcript: "I was undecided for a long time."

Segment Synopsis: Mary Ann explains why she double-majored in English and International Studies, mentions her favorite classes and professors, and delves briefly into the fellowship she obtained upon graduation from Denison University.

Keywords: Analytical; Articles; Book; Creative Writing; Early British Literature; English; English Major; Fellowship; Fred Porcheddu; International Studies; Literature; Literature Track; Margot Singer; Newspaper Articles; Skills; Technical Skills; Undecided; Writing

Subjects: College; English; Literature; Writing

Partial Transcript: "Yeah, so I had a plan and then I changed it."

Segment Synopsis: Mary Ann reflects upon her time studying Amish and Mennonite culture in Switzerland as well as her time teaching Iraqi and Syrian refugees, as well as others, in Jordan.

Keywords: Amish; Anabaptists; Anthropology; Archives; Bilingual; Book; English; Fellowship; Fulbright; German; Government; Graduation; Independent Study; International Studies; Iraq; Jordan; Meaning; Mennonite; Newspaper; Non-Profit; Policy; Public Policy; Refugees; Study Abroad; Switzerland; Syria; Syrian Refugees; Teach for America; Teaching; Texts; Writing

Subjects: Career; Government; Middle-East; Study Abroad; Switzerland; Teaching

Partial Transcript: "I realized that one policy decision the government made made a much, much larger impact on people's lives than the cumulative effect of all these little non-profits trying to make a difference.

Segment Synopsis: After observing the tremendous impact the Jordanian government's policies had on its citizens, Mary Ann was inspired to pursue public policy at UC Berkeley. Upon graduation, she worked in international development, analyzing and interpreting reports on drug trials for children.

Keywords: Audience; Boston; Domestic Education Policy; Drug Trial; Economics; English Major; General Audience; Government; Grad School; International Development; Liberal Arts; Placebo; Policy Analysis; Public Policy; Scientific Reports; Skills; Statistics; Technical Writing; UC Berkeley; Writing; Writing Skills

Subjects: College; Government; Grad School; Public Policy; Science; Writing

Partial Transcript: "Yeah, so I had a couple."

Segment Synopsis: Mary Ann describes the rigorous interview process for Teach for America, and how she had to prepare for it, emphasizing the importance of creating a narrative.

Keywords: First Interview; Fulbright; Industrial Supply Firm; Interview; Job Interview; Liberal Arts; Narrative; Private Sector; Supply Chain; Teach for America

Subjects: Interview; Interviewing

Partial Transcript: "You don't learn what you need for life in college."

Segment Synopsis: For Mary Ann, college is a tool to teach you how to think and a job is a tool through which you learn practical skills. As someone in the position of hiring, she notes that applicants who succeeded the most were those who had had a liberal arts background and who were, as a result, well-rounded.

Keywords: Admissions Office; Audience; College; Communicate; Critical Thinking; Economics; English Major; Hiring; Interview; Job Skills; Liberal Arts; Policy-making; Practical; Public Policy; Skills; Training; Writing

Subjects: Career; College; Economics; English; Job; Public Policy

Partial Transcript: "Yeah, I think continually in some ways, with the exception of where I am right now, I just really love the work that I do and it's kind of the perfect combination of what I like, that happened all the time."

Segment Synopsis: Mary Ann notes that, while she was often uncertain about her career decisions, her discussions with alumni, both at Denison and within the public policy program at UC Berkeley, helped her along the way.

Keywords: Alumni; Grad School; Jordan; Public Policy; Struggle; Uncertainty

Subjects: Uncertainty

Partial Transcript: "To be perfectly honest, right now, I just don't read a lot."

Segment Synopsis: Mary Ann doesn't have much time for pleasure-reading these days, but she does take the opportunity to read with her kids every chance she gets.

Keywords: Academic; Academic Journal; Article; Books; Definition; Dr. Seuss; English Degree; Hiking; Literature; News; Objective; Parenting; Read; Text; Travel; Writing

Subjects: Literature; News; Parenting; Reading; Writing

Partial Transcript: "Yeah, so I have two thoughts on that."

Segment Synopsis: Mary Ann advises current and prospective English majors not to stress so much over what major they choose and focus on excelling in the skills they gain within that major. She also emphasizes the importance of humanities and science students learning across the spectrum of academia to become better-informed citizens.

Keywords: Academia; Communicate; Computer Science; Computer Science Major; Course Catalogue; Courses; Denison University; Double Major; Economics; English; English Major; Hard Science; Humanities; International Studies; Liberal Arts; Math; Opportunity; Performance; Science; Senior Thesis; Shakespeare; Statistics; Summer Research

Subjects: College; College Major; English; Humanities; Sciences; Social Sciences