Mary Adkins

April 1, 2015

Mary Adkins

Colleges: Liberal Arts, Honors College
Majors: Professional Writing, English
Minor: Global Studies

Why did you choose Purdue?

I chose Purdue for a bunch of reasons! I applied because my parents attended, met, and got engaged at Purdue, so they made me apply. When I came to campus for a visit, I was so impressed by how nice everyone here is. Specifically, the person who was in charge of the Liberal Arts Honors program at the time was on his way out of the office for the day, but he stopped and talked to me for about 45 minutes about Liberal Arts Honors. In addition to the people, I really loved the college campus feel, and the amazing reputation of the academic programs.

What is your passion and why do you do what you do?

I love literature and traveling. I think what I like about both of them is that they make you step outside your own small world and realize that there’s more out there.

Why did you choose to graduate with Honors? What was the main benefit for you?

I think the best thing about Honors is the opportunities to form close connections with faulty members through classes, research, and organizations.

Explain your thesis/scholarly project.

For my thesis, I’m investigating the revisions involving racism and female agency made in the republications of the first 34 classic Nancy Drew Mystery Stories.

How did you get into this research?

The English department created a class for those of us doing our Honors thesis. We worked closely with the head of the English department to develop our topics. I chose to research Nancy Drew because the series was an important part of my development into an avid reader at a young age and because the methods used to publish them were unique.

What were some of the highlights during your college career?

One of my favorite memories is from my freshman year. Purdue Football beat Ohio State in overtime. I’m originally from Ohio, so this was a big deal. My sister had come up for the game, and my friends and I all rushed the field after we won. I was so proud to be a Boilermaker.

What was your favorite Honors course and why?

I was a Dammon Dean’s scholar, and so I would have to say that my favorite Honors class was the one I had with all of the other Dean’s Scholars, GS490, because we all became great friends, and I still am really good friends with a lot of them.

Tell us about a few of your extra-curricular activities that played significant roles during your time at Purdue.

I’ve been involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities during my time at Purdue, but two that were particularly significant were the Liberal Arts Steering Committee and the Honors College mentor program for the freshmen seminar. In the Steering committee, I got to work closely with faculty to make decisions about events in the CLA honors community. As an Honors college mentor, I was able to help the new Honors College students adjust to college life while completing some awesome projects.

What’s next after graduation?

I’ll be working in Costa Rica this summer as a Program Leader for Rustic Pathways, and then I’ll come back to Lafayette to work as a Content Creator at Treefrog Marketing & Communications.

You said that literature is a passion of yours. If you had to pick a favorite novel, what would it be?