Irini Mihas is a senior majoring in English and minoring in journalism. Irini is an LAS Copywriting Intern, where she contribues digital media content for the College of LAS Office of Marketing & Communications team. In her free time, Irini loves to read, take care of her dog, and bake.
As someone who was told they should be a lawyer growing up—and perhaps not as a compliment—I have always been in love with words and the power of them. I was the kid whose school librarian knew their name. The kid who went to the public library every weekend and would search the shelves for an hour and read for double. The kid who would not stop being very opinionated about a variety of issues in which “she read about it in a book.” I have always been “the English kid.”
The irony lies in that I started as a journalism student. After about a year in journalism, I realized I didn't have that same passion for the field as I did for English literature. I ended up switching my major to English but kept journalism as a minor due to me still appreciating and being interested in the field. After giving way to my passion and disregarding the negative preconceptions about English majors, I decided to fully dedicate myself to the field.
My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. After switching my major, I had a newfound motivation towards academics and my career. My grades improved, my self-esteem improved, and my overall direction became much clearer. I fell in love with my coursework and it inspired me beyond the classroom. The frequent discussions and essays surrounding the variety of literature in my classes led me to start my own book Instagram, TikTok, and Substack in which I get to share my thoughts about all of the books I love and have read in class. I have also been extremely fortunate enough to actually have many entry-level on-campus and off-campus jobs because of my major. As an aspiring editor, I was fortunate enough to have my first ever internship as one of a medical manuscript editor for JAMA Network in Chicago. My role at JAMA—the Journal of the American Medical Association—was my first exposure to working as an editor professionally. I learned about the components of the AMA Style Guide, how to apply the guide when editing a variety of medical manuscripts, and collaborated with a welcoming, informative, and encouraging team. It was an amazing and formative experience and I specifically remember frequently talking about being an English major; my coworkers and I bonded over discussions of a variety of novels, poems, and other literary works.
By taking a heart-lead leap of faith, I was able to discover how enriching the field of English and similar humanities subjects can be. They are not useless, and many other fields actually rely on a strong foundation of English to succeed and grow. One of my first English classes here at the university featured a presentation on careers for the humanities and explained how every job is increasingly looking for adept writers, thinkers, and communicators. At first, I was skeptical, but as I’ve grown more into my academics and major, I realized that they were right.
English is not for the lazy. We will still be valued years down the line. Literacy is not a detriment and has only ever enriched my life and the lives of my peers. In English, you get to explore so many personal, academic, and professional experiences that you have otherwise never known to exist. You get to ponder and answer a variety of questions that are necessary for human development—or you have the freedom to discuss which horror subgenre is the best and what makes love triangles sometimes so distasteful. Regardless of what literary element, work, or other medium is being discussed in a serious or humorous way, there is something to be learned and gained that can inspire the next great novelist or editor, or even political speaker or business owner if desired.
The field of English is a gateway to the inner thoughts, feelings, and desires of humans that can sometimes otherwise be too scary or personal to share. English and literature can then turn them into something uniquely beautiful that is to be shared or reserved; nevertheless, a work to be admired. That is why I love English. That is why I love my major.