Programming Her Future

When Vanessa Rupertus ‘21 started her Washington College education, she had no idea that she was getting started on a path that would lead her beyond the written word to possibilities she never even imagined. Although she came the College with her eyes on a future in the world of law or literature, she has taken the opportunities afforded by a Washington College education to explore all of her passions and develop a newfound love of programming.

 

Vanessa, an English major with minors in Creative Writing and Justice, Law & Society, first visited Washington College as a high school student for the Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference. “I fell in love with the campus and the homey atmosphere of the Literary House.” At the encouragement of Rose O’Neill Literary House Director James Allen Hall, she applied to join the Class of 2021.

English was a natural choice of major for the young writer, whose passion for editing shines in both her classwork and her work as a screener for the Cherry Tree literary magazine. And while she chose her minors to determine whether she would prefer to pursue law school or a career as an editor, an unexpected passion for programming radically changed Rupertus’s plans. 

“I thought without a doubt I wanted to jump into the world of editing, but now I’m using my major as a platform to jump into fields you wouldn’t normally think of. Believe it or not,” she adds, “Computer Science and English are very compatible together!”

For Rupertus, the highlight of the English major is the chance to workshop with her peers. “When it’s time to turn in our work and then critique our peers work with good, productive discussion, I’m always excited! I’m able to analyze a rough draft of a work and admire the beginnings of the craft before suggesting improvements.”

Beyond that, she credits her professors as the best part of her WC education. “The professors here always have your best interests in mind, no matter how well they know you. When I took my second computer science class, Professor Lobo, who just met me, suggested me for an internship. Now, I’m preparing for that summer internship, and have my professor that only knew my name and major at the time to thank for it!”

Although creative writing has taken a backseat to programming in Vanessa’s future goals, she intends to continue pursuing it alongside a career in programming or law. While the final decision remains up in the air, Vanessa is ready to pursue her passions and see where they take her.