Elsie Berg

“I looked up an alphabetical list of every college in the United States at one point, and Carthage stuck out to me because the English program was said by many online to be phenomenal. When I came to visit during my senior year of high school, it just felt right to be here. The area reminded me of Duluth, Minnesota, which is very familiar to me, and I adored how small the class sizes and student body were.”

“The Carthage faculty, specifically my professors, are family to me. So many of my professors have supported me when I was having a difficult time, and each and every one of them wants to see me, as well as their other students, succeed more than anything else. Without them, I wouldn’t have nearly the amount of confidence in myself and my skills as I do now, and I wouldn’t have been able to experience all of the amazing things that I’ve been given the privilege of participating in. The faculty here at Carthage truly revel in their student’s successes, and I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. My professors have given recommendations that have helped open doors for me, and they’ve always been available to schedule a meeting with me so I can get some advice or help on coursework—even just to have a chat and check in. Without them, I’d have no idea what I was capable of achieving, but they’ve helped me unlock my potential and thrive.”

“My favorite class so far at Carthage has been the short story class that I took with Professor Alyson Kiesel. Before taking this class, I always felt like my voice in a story didn’t matter, but Prof. Kiesel helped me learn, through the stories and conversations in that class, that my life experiences can make for great stories and great works of art too.”

“My toughest class at Carthage was also one of my favorites. That class was Queer Lit and Theory. I remember how my classmates and I used to joke about how the amount of reading in our folders made them so heavy that we could use them in self-defense! In general, that class expanded my thinking and perspective on life as well as the people around me more than any other class that I have ever taken. It took a lot of reading, a lot of talking, and a lot of trying my best to understand a concept that seemed so unfamiliar to me, but I learned that this amount of effort is what is necessary to grow to be a better person.”

“I am involved in Poetry Underground and Centrique Fine Arts Magazine and have been on the e-board for both. Centrique just recently published its first physical publication in four years, and I got to play a big part in making that publication a reality!”

“I currently work as a writer on the marketing team for the Office of Performing and Visual Arts! I was recommended to the office by a professor of mine. I have found that working on professional writing, in tandem with the other writers and the graphic designers on my team, has taught me a lot about what it takes to organize and advertise events, as well as how to be more confident in reaching out to various people to get what I need for my project to be completed.”

“My favorite spot on campus is the lounge area by the windows on the 300 level of Lentz Hall. I love sitting there with my laptop and doing homework, as well as getting breakfast or lunch from Lentz Do Lunch and eating it there. It’s especially nice towards the end of the fall semester when they put up the Christmas tree in the middle of the area.”

“Most of my favorite moments take place in my classes. I love when the professor cracks a couple of jokes in class that make the lesson more memorable or when I have a good conversation with a classmate. A particularly special in-class moment took place in my advanced writing class. Our writing prompt was to write a poem that was 100 percent impossible (no part of it could be possible at all). My poem ended up being so outlandish and ridiculous that the entire class burst out laughing — one of my friends and I still reference that poem to this day! Some of my favorite moments outside of class, though, have to be the open mic nights that we at Poetry Underground and Centrique put on. It’s so casual and fun, and I get to spend time with my friends and relish in their creativity!”

“8-year-old Elsie didn’t exactly have any career plans. I remember that I used to make up jobs to say I’d have in the future when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn’t really know what I was in the world for, so I think that 8-year-old me would be surprised that I’ve become so established in my departments and that I have so much more confidence in what I want to do with my life and how I want to do that. Plus, I’ve always loved reading, so I think they’d be jazzed to learn that I read so many books for school!”