Jordan Ducree ’23
“I had an ‘aha!’ moment about a different major when I was really little—I’m a double major in biology and English. When I was little I would watch documentaries about forensic science, and I wanted to do work like that, so I knew I needed to study biology in order to pursue that. But in the background, my love of writing and reading was always there, and in high school I became more passionate about it. So that was something I was really into and wanted to study as well.
English was something I wanted to learn more about and participate in that conversation alongside studying what I wanted to do as my career. I think both of my majors study the more interesting parts of life. I wanted to do biology to study the human body and eventually work in forensic science. And I think writing is also focused on learning more about humans. I get to write about life in English and then see how it gets put together in biology.
I’ll write literally anything. It makes me so excited to get my words out on the page. It’s funny because I’m usually known as more of quiet person, but when I’m on a topic that I’m interested in, I’ll talk a mile a minute. But sometimes talking to other people stresses me out, so I’ll write about those things I’m passionate about. And then I can bridge that gap and not worry about being eloquent enough. I remember reading through the Narnia series with my mom, and those were the first books I remember really loving. After that, I was always the one who would go to the library and check out five books at once. Now I’m more passionate about nonfiction. But it’s always been there. I can’t even remember a time when I wasn’t fond of reading.”
In the style of Brandon Stanton’s popular photoblog Humans of New York, our Humans of the English Department series introduces you to the real-life people involved in English at UP–majors, minors, alums and faculty alike–who have studied or are currently studying or working at the University of Portland. In their own words, we hear their stories, perspectives, and unique experiences that have led them to make the study of English an integral part of their lives.
Nice to know there are other English majors out there who also study science! I’m starting a post-bacc in January at UC Berkeley Extension to take the required science courses to apply to medical school. After almost seven years of exploring and considering other career paths, along with reflection, I have strayed from the typical English major career path to discover my true calling as a physician. Critical thinking, writing, and research are important in both the sciences and humanities.