Exploring All Options

When 哈雷 罗伊斯 ‘22 stepped onto campus as a freshman, she wasn’t entirely certain what she wanted to do after graduation. 后 all, her interests and passions were wide-ranging; some were even, as she describes them, “niche.” Why shouldn’t her education be the same? She was not interested in limiting herself to pursuing only 1 or 2 of those interests for the next 4 years.

 

“I wanted to try everything so I would know what I wanted to do,” she explained. 

That doesn’t mean 哈雷 started her college career without some direction or a strategy. “When I was looking at schools, I wanted a smaller place because I thought it would be easier to ask questions and to get the resources and support to wiggle around and figure out what I actually wanted to do and what I wanted to study.” Her parents agreed. 

So she started at Washington College thinking she’d like to be a high school French 老师. She’s spoken the language since she was 4 years old and has always wanted a degree in French. As a major, French stuck right away because “I’m stubborn.”

哈雷 soon realized, however, that the classroom wasn’t for her, “but I loved the theory and philosophies I was learning, as well as the study of human development,” 她说. So, the secondary education minor stuck.

One of 哈雷’s niche interests is fashion history, which inspired her to enroll in an Art History course. 哈雷 ended up loving it so much that she became one of the first WC students to participate in the Museum in the Field program, interning at a local art gallery. And just like that, a minor in Art History stuck.

When Covid-19 hit, sending her home to attend classes remotely, 哈雷 experienced “a little identity crisis.” She realized she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. 后 some thought, she decided, “I knew I loved retail, and career-wise, a business degree would be the most recognizable [to future employers].” 

And that’s how 哈雷 ended up becoming a truly interdisciplinary, quintessential liberal arts student, majoring in French Studies and Business Management with minors in Art History and Secondary Education.

“It’s been fun,” 她说. “I feel I have had a lot of freedom to try things.”

So, it makes perfect sense that 哈雷 plans to work in Human Resources after graduation. “I know,” 她说 with a laugh. “My mom once jokingly said I would make a great union organizer, and I thought, ‘that sounds interesting.’ I think I’d like helping people.”

哈雷 interned this past summer for a nonprofit that supports adults with disabilities, working in the human resources department. She loved the experience. “I’d like to make workplaces better for employees,” 她说.

Looking back on her 4 years at Washington College and ahead to her future, 哈雷 noted that her path has been really fluid.

“You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do,” 哈雷 reflected. “When I was in high school, I wanted to move to Los Angeles and be an actress. I’m very, very happy that I didn’t.”