What is your current major/minor?

My current major is Computer Science, and my current minor is Digital Studies in the Arts and Humanities.

How did you find Digital Humanities?

I found Digital Humanities while I was looking for study abroad opportunities that fit my interests, and I came across the Technology, Humanities, and the Arts program for the Digital Humanities minor. As someone who has always loved technology, the arts, and the humanities, I was immediately interested in the program since it combined all of my interests, and that was where I first learned about Digital Humanities Minor!

What do you like most about Digital Humanities?

I think some of my favorite parts of Digital Humanities have been learning about and using creative techniques to make really interesting projects! As a visual and tactile person myself, I love learning about how to create interesting interactive visualizations using digital tools, such as creative maps or other unique ways to visualize data. I think being able to take research and data and then make it unique for an audience through digital storytelling is an extremely valuable skill that has helped make all of my projects better, whether it’s for research, for a class, or for myself!

How is Digital Humanities enriching your academic experience?

I have gained a lot of experience working with and utilizing technology and developing digital scholarship projects through Digital Humanities. Throughout my experience so far, I have also gained a ton of confidence working with groups, communicating my ideas to others, and learning how to use creativity and digital tools to develop my own projects. I’ve used so many DH techniques in almost every aspect of my life, so they are extremely useful beyond just DH projects!

What have you learned so far that you didn’t expect about Digital Humanities?

One thing that I’ve learned so far that I didn’t expect about Digital Humanities is how important DH methods are for any digital scholarship project or any project overall. For example, I’ve learned that DH is so much more than just learning how to use digital tools in projects; it’s also about learning how to approach your work and determine your audience, the story you want to tell, and how to pick the right tools to make a project better. Instead of just learning about digital tools in a humanities context, I’ve also learned a lot about digital storytelling and how and and when to use digital tools to tell a story the way you want to. Learning about these techniques has helped give me a completely new and different perspective on how to create a good project overall!

What advice might you have for other students as it relates to Digital Humanities?

I think that Digital Humanities is an amazing minor and discipline, no matter your major or background. One of the unique things about DH that I really like is that everyone comes in with different perspectives. For example, since I’m a computer science major, I have somewhat of a technical background, so I’ve brought that perspective into the projects I’ve worked on, but I’ve met so many people with different majors, and they all brought different perspectives that I’ve learned so much from! DH encourages people to be creative, so my advice would be: don’t be afraid to lean into your own interests and strengths!