Emily Jane Bartlett, a 2021 graduate of Mercer University‘s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing, Spanish and communication studies.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will be joining the BIOS (Brain Injury Outcomes) team at Johns Hopkins University as a research assistant-communications. I’m very excited to work with such a talented and dedicated team!
What is one of your favorite Mercer memories?
One of my favorite memories was working on Dr. Deneen Senasi’s QEP project that we called “Being Human.” This project tackled issues within the humanities discipline. Dr. Senasi saw that humanities students were graduating from Mercer having learned a lot but were unable to articulate just how much they knew. This project challenged my fellow research assistants and me to create modules centered around various humanities skills and concepts such as introspection, communication, etc. By bringing me on to this project, Dr. Senasi helped me expand my understanding of my humanities education in ways that would help other students do the same. This project made me think differently, and it helped to reinforce the value of my humanities education.
What was your favorite class and why?
Dr. Senasi’s ENG 390: Public Writing class was one of the most challenging and worthwhile classes I took at Mercer. I thoroughly enjoyed both the reading assignments (“Julius Caesar,” “Henry V,” etc.) and the writing assignments (public policy proposal, open letter, etc.) because they taught me that I could use my skills to do more than write a standard college essay. Most importantly, I learned how to consider questions of audience: “Who is your audience? What kind of information are they looking for? How can I effectively communicate the purpose of what I’m doing to said audience?” This newfound awareness of audience was one of the most important skills I have learned during my time at Mercer, and it has shaped my writing ever since.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Do all of the reading. I found that reading everything helped me to get the most out of all of my classes, which made my education that much more valuable. So, do your best to give yourself the necessary time to actually do your reading. You won’t want to miss out on anything.
What makes Mercer special to you?
I am so glad that I decided to go to Mercer. One of the best parts of my Mercer education was the smaller classroom sizes, which allowed me to actually get to know my professors. The relationships I formed with a number of my professors opened up many opportunities and really made my Mercer experience special.
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