It’s no secret that UCSD is a chiefly science and math based school. Although we have an awesome humanities department headed by some of the most prominent professors around, it is often easy to feel lost here as a lover of art, history, and literature. So what’s a humanities student, or truly anyone interested in the arts, to do? Luckily, our campus boasts students who are immensely passionate about what they love, enough so that they desire to share that love with other students. Jacqueline Kim has made it her mission to provide a place for literature enthusiasts to celebrate just how interesting and creatively fulfilling the literary field can be. Her newly formed student organization, the New Inklings, fosters student love of all things reading and writing, and Jacqueline herself reads as particularly inspiring.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Creative, organized, responsible.
Can you tell me a little bit about the New Inklings and what they do?
We are a student organization made to bring together students of any year and major who love literature. My idea to form the New Inklings began last spring, when I was on Twitter and saw that a friend of mine received a load of free books at a literary conference. I found that she was able to do so through an honors society called Sigma Tau Delta, which is exclusive to literature majors. I e-mailed Stephanie Jedd, our literature department chair, about creating a chapter. I met with her and we talked about forming a Sigma Tau Delta chapter of our own, but we were concerned it would be overly limiting and wanted to make this club available to any lover of reading and writing, not just literature majors. And so the New Inklings were formed! The name was inspired by a similar group created by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Our goal is really that one of us will make it as a prominent writer and be able to look back and remember the New Inklings fondly.
What is your favorite work of literature?
Jane Austen is definitely my favorite author. It is so hard to choose my favorite work of hers, and I wouldn’t even know what to recommend- all of them, haha! I was in a club similar to the New Inklings in high school called the Jane Austen and More Club, so I really love her.
How do you balance schoolwork and this kind of leadership?
Hmmm, I don’t really have a specific way of doing things. I prioritize and know schoolwork is always first. I’m a commuter, so I don’t have that much time to spend on campus or hanging out with my school friends or anything like that. When I go home I know I have to do my work, and sometimes I will handle administrative stuff with the club via Facebook and e-mail. This club is really my hobby, so I make time for it- my hobby just so happens to include a lot of people!
What inspires you- to write and in general?
I tend to write history and fantasy pieces, things that are very Jane Austen-esque. I love fairytales, especially fractured fairytales, and a lot of my work tends to go in that direction. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about ideas for scripts. I get inspiration from the music that I listen to and I often make playlists and soundtracks to accompany the things that I am writing.
What advice do you have for college women?
At the risk of sounding cliché, I’d say that girls should always be themselves, be proud of what they are interested in, and never feel like they are constrained by whatever society tells them they can or can’t do. It’s hard to hear from people that I am making the wrong choices; especially as women, I feel like we often hear we need to be more “practical.” I say just follow what you want and love to do. College is the time where you can do that and while you’re here, just never be afraid to like something that other people don’t, even if it’s something like literature! I think that passion will take you pretty far.