Jordan Heise

Major concentration: Literature, Media, and Culture

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

How did you decide on English-EWM as your major?

I ultimately chose English-LMC as my major because of a professor I had my first semester. I was a bio-chemistry major and taking a class with graduate teaching assistant Ashley Christensen to fulfill a general education requirement. She was absolutely amazing, and I wanted to keep taking classes like it. It wasn’t that I particularly disliked my STEM classes—I was actually doing quite well in them—it was that while I saw myself being successful in the STEM field, I saw myself being happy with the life an English degree would lead to.

What was your favorite part about being an English major?

I liked being an English major because the English department allowed a sort of freedom to choose the classes one pursued, but I loved being an English major because of how dedicated the professors were to connecting with their students. I had so many amazing professors for my classes in the English department.

What one memory of your time at FSU do you think I’ll always remember?

Not necessarily a singular explicit memory, but in general I will never forget the people I met while at FSU. I have professors who I took classes with a couple years ago who I am still in contact with. I made incredible groups of friends both inside the English department and outside it. People who I took four, five, even six classes with were some of the most inspiring and intelligent people I’ve met in my entire life. Florida State is really an amazing community of people that has definitely changed my life.

What does it mean to you to graduate Summa Cum Laude?

I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved in my time at this university, especially with everything that happened in my last two-and-a-half semesters here. My twin sister and I are first-generation college graduates, and we have both worked hard to get to this point in our education. To graduate with honors is really all I could have asked for from my time here.

What would you tell a student who is considering English as their major?

As someone who made the decision to change degree paths, who had a distinct idea of what my education and post-graduate plans would be before changing majors, all the advice I could give to another student would be to do what they are passionate about. If that is reading, researching, or discussing diverse literature and the context that created it, then the English department can let your passion flourish. The professors, advisors, and students that you will meet will leave an impression on you for years after you have left the university.

What are your post-graduation plans?

I am planning to take some time off from academia until the pandemic is not creating so much chaos, and hopefully, I will begin attending law school in fall of 2022.