“It’s an amazing experience just to understand how the research process in academia works,” says English major Alexandra Rivera ’19. “[You] understand the process by looking into books that scholars have written, to find out what dissertations are being written, and to discuss with colleagues these materials in depth.”
Rivera, a student in the combined BA/MA English Teacher preparation program, is majoring in English with a minor in Japanese Studies. She is working on an honors thesis, Literary Fraudulence in Allegory and Fanfiction through Dante’s Divine Comedy, under the direction of Douglas Pfeiffer and is a participant in the English Honors Program as well as the URECA (Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities) summer program.
Alexandra hopes to spend a few years in Japan through the Japanese Exchange Teacher program upon completing her master’s degree and teacher certification; later she plans to pursue a doctorate in English.
At Stony Brook, Alexandra serves as an officer for Alpha Nu Zeta, the English Honor Society; and is a member of the English Honors Program’s Student Advisory Board. One year ago, she was selected for the Women’s Leadership Council which matches high potential women undergraduates with top women leaders affiliated with Stony Brook University. Through her affiliation with the Women’s Leadership Council, Alexandra was given the opportunity to participate in a part-time summer internship this summer at Folio Literary Management.
Alexandra graduated from Commack High School (2015) and is an avid reader and language learner (having already made great strides in Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Latin, and beginning Mandarin).
Read URECA Director Karen Kernan’s interview with Alexandra.
Alexandra Rivera ’19 Pursues Love of Dante and Japan was originally published on the Stony Brook University website.