Anna McDevitt
Year: Senior – 2015
Hometown and what you love about it:
I always have trouble with this question because I was born in New Mexico, but I always consider my hometown to be Pittsburgh. I love all the nature and outdoor space everyone can enjoy (and can usually walk very easily). And even though the traffic is a mess, I love the sports and how it brings the city together. It’s very unique compared to other cities. Also, the new food scene happening here is super awesome. I am looking forward to what the food scene will have to offer here in the next five years.
Areas of study and why you chose them:
I am a double-major in History and English, with a minor in African American Studies. History was always a given for me because it was my favorite subject to study in school and outside of it. English was also a given for me because I love to read and analyze texts, particularly poetry. My minor was something I added on after taking some classes with Dr. Wardi and realizing how interesting and rich black history and culture is to study. I consider American history to be intertwined with African American history, and it bothers me when they are spoken of separately.
Why did you choose Chatham?
I chose Chatham because my mother attended as a Gateway student when I was in primary school. She inspired me to never stop learning, and I knew that Chatham was the perfect environment to satisfy my craving to learn everything I can in things I love and some subjects that I do not know as much about, like art history (which I love now).
What advice do you have for the Class of 2018?
Be social, introduce yourself, and never feel that you should not get involved in anything. I made the mistake of staying in my dorm the majority of the time my first year, and it did not help me when I was trying to make friends. Going along with that, do not feel pressured to be super social. Just be you. That’s one thing that is great about Chatham: you can take the time to discover who you really are as a person and become extremely confident in who you are before you graduate.
What was your favorite first-year memory?
My favorite first-year memory was reading The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon in Dr. McNaugher’s Intro to Creative Writing class. It was my first semester and I was adjusting to my new college workload. I really enjoyed Dr. McNaugher’s class because it was a judgement-free zone that was fun and educational. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh made me feel comfortable because the setting is of Pittsburgh, and I just remember having a great time reading that book outside on the quad in the fall sunshine.
You can live in the world of any book for one full day. Which one do you choose and why?
It is going to be a weird choice, but Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. I read The Handmaid’s Tale for Dr. Bruckner’s Women in Science Fiction class and it was a fascinating read. I could and could not wrap my head around living in a world where women were assigned to different categories and used as sexual organs and “hosts” essentially. I think just taking a walk to the town (if I was categorized as a handmaid) would be enough to satisfy my craving to experience an environment like that. It really makes you grateful for what you have, and question why there are still women’s rights issues today.
You get to design one class at Chatham. What would it be and why?
I would create a class that focuses on the history of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has an extremely rich and important history that plays a huge part within American history. From our steel mills, African American history (especially in the Hill District), roots in music and cultural arts, educational institutions, and neighborhoods, there is so much to cover and discuss. There could be plenty of field trips and cool projects to assign. This class would actually require more than a semester if I could teach it and include everything I would want to…
What do you love most about being a Chatham woman?
I love being able to say I am a Chatham woman (one of the last, I might add). With the implementation of coeducation next year, I know that my educational experience will be different from the next wave of incoming college students in a myriad of ways. So I am proud to be a part of that long legacy of Chatham women, the ones that are passionate, empowered, self-realized, and incredibly intelligent. Chatham women are that hidden part of the population, but when you see or meet a fellow alumnae, you know you share a connection that is deeper and more fulfilling than any other institution you know. And I quite like that fact.
What is one thing that surprised you about Chatham?
What surprised me is how passionate every student is in her goals, whether personal, career, or educational. All of that plays into the classroom environment, where everyone is supportive of every other student. Every student wants her fellow students to thrive and become successful, and I find that is hard to attain in larger classroom settings and at larger institutions.