Name: Amanda Bourne
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Major: English with a concentration in Media and Performance Studies, as well as a minor in Theology and Religious Studies
Hometown: Owings, Maryland
What are some of your hobbies/activities?
My hobbies mostly involve libraries and books, although I also am an avid tea aficionado and enjoy photography.
What activities are you involved in on campus?
If it’s related to film or theatre, I’m probably there. I’ve been fortunate to help run the annual Film Fest on campus for the last four years, and also enjoy being a part of Marymount Actors’ Guild. I’m currently the president of the Honors Program as well.
What is your favorite part about being a leader on campus?
I love knowing people around campus, and being able to help put on events and programs that anyone could learn something important from. A lot of my leadership, both past and present, has been focused on interdisciplinary work, which I think is essential to Marymount’s heart and mission.
Why did you choose to attend Marymount?
Long story short, I met a professor in the English Department who kept in touch with me after I visited. That and MU’s great location are why I’m here!
What is your favorite thing about Marymount?
The English Department, first and foremost. My second favorite thing is how small Marymount is – it makes it much easier to be a student leader because you know everyone, and you know who to go to if you need help.
What is a typical day in your life like?
Very busy. I work three part-time jobs and am taking 15 credits this semester, so I’m pretty much never in my room. A typical day might be: breakfast in the early morning, work till noon, class, a late lunch, and then 2-3 meetings or a shift at another workplace depending on the day. Normally, I finish up my evenings either in a late class, or at the library working on homework.
What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
I have no clue, and I’m okay with that! I’d like to be helping people in some way. Maybe in 5-7 years, I’ll have a Master’s degree and will be continuing research (or I could be hiking in the Himalayas–you never know).
What is your most memorable moment at Marymount?
I’m skipping this question, because there are too many to choose from!
What have you been able to take away from your years so far at Marymount?
To dream big, and find mentors to help you achieve those dreams.
What is your dream job and how do you think you’ll get there?
I don’t really have a dream job. I hope that I’ll have many jobs in my lifetime, and that I’ll learn something new and do something to help the world at all of them. That’s really stereotypically millennial of me, I know, but I think I’d be bored with just one “dream” job. I’d really love, one day, to teach English at a college level though (which of course means that I want to eventually get a PhD…)
3 words to describe yourself:
Imaginative, learner, efficient
What is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome?
Succeeding as a homeschooled student in a university (deadlines!) has been a pretty big one.
What’s your spirit animal and why?
A cat, definitely. I also like to lie in the sun doing nothing or sleep all day, while avoiding social interaction as much as possible. (Typical introvert, y’all.)
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Well, I would say England, but considering that I’m going back this summer, my next dream country to visit would either be the Czech Republic or Nepal.
What is your Hogwarts house?
Ravenclaw
Who is your MCE (Man Crush Everyday) or WCE?
Benedict Cumberbatch & Elizabeth Warren.
Favorite color: Blue or dark green
Favorite movie: The Note, which you’ve probably never heard of, but your mother definitely has if she watches Hallmark.
Favorite holiday: Easter
Favorite TV show: Sherlock, Elementary, Father Brown, Poirot–I have quite a few!
Favorite book:
Don’t ask me to decide on just one! Anything by Virginia Woolf, Sherlock Holmes-related, especially the Mary Russell series. I also love Agatha Christie, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, so asking me to just pick one isn’t really fair at all. I am an English major, after all.
What is your favorite quote?
Do I have to choose just one?
“Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences” -Sylvia Plath