What I love most about Medieval Studies is how it constantly urges me to broaden my understanding of the past—my classes have taught me that the medieval world was far from homogenous, stretched far beyond the boundaries of Europe, and was defined as much by cultural vibrancy as it was by brutal violence. In my own work, I’m deeply interested in the way that culturally constructed understandings of race, sexuality, and “monstrosity” in the Middle Ages still have implications on contemporary life. I’m also pursuing a major in English and a minor in Art History, and I’ve found movements such as postcolonial and critical race theory invaluable to my own analysis of marginalized subjects in the medieval world!