Meet Your English Departmental Student Advisor
Liam Diaz
(he/him)
Hometown: South Lyon, MI
Majors: English and Philosophy
Concentration: Media Studies
Study Abroad: Rome
Best Adjective to Describe You: Eclectic
DSAs are nominated by departments or programs. DSAs know firsthand what it’s like to be an English major. Liam is available via e-mail and at special campus events to answer your questions. DSAs do not replace academic advisors or faculty, but serve as an additional resource at K.
Congratulations, Liam!
What Liam Loves about English and More
In 20 words or less, what is the best thing about being part of this department?
The faculty, the large selection of classes, and constantly being surrounded by people who are open to having interesting, weird conversations.
What is your biggest piece of advice to first years and sophomores about getting connected to this department?
Microsoft Teams is your friend. It might be kind of intimidating if you’ve never used it before, but once you get used to it it’s great. You can reach practically any faculty member or student on campus with just their name. I check my teams frequently. Other than that, you can email me or any of the professors with any questions you have on Outlook. Many of them respond at inhuman speeds.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned at K?
Life comes in phases, it doesn’t end when things change. The world is bigger than my hometown, but it’s also bigger than K College. Shame is a part of adolescence; everyone has to deal with it, and it shouldn’t stop you from having a voice. Horde as many print credits as you can.
What has been your favorite class at K?
I don’t want to sound disingenuous, but there really hasn’t been a class I didn’t like so far. The creative writing craft sequence was a joy for me. It gave me a structured space to be creative, and connected me with other aspiring creatives. The Ethics course with the philosophy department is a close second.
How have you taken advantage of the open curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
Without K’s open curriculum, I would have never discovered my love for Philosophy. A liberal arts education is the sort of approach to learning that treats knowledge as an intrinsic good, not solely as an instrumental one.
What experiential education opportunities have you participated in?
I worked as a creative writing TA for Andy Mozina last winter.
What is your SIP?
An anthology of short stories set on a version of our world that is about to be destroyed by an asteroid. The stories explore how different people across the globe spend their last days on Earth.
What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
I want to do something creative for a living, hopefully writing. I’ve also thought about getting into law or politics. I think I’d like to get my PHD at some point. We’ll see what happens. The world could change a lot in the next year.
What is a random fun fact about you?
My Freshman year roommate was also named Liam. Somebody must have done that intentionally. They’re lucky we actually liked each other. Just because two people share the same name doesn’t mean they’re automatically going to be buddies. People ask if it got confusing, but honestly, when it was just the two of us, it rarely came up. You would be surprised how many conversations you can have with someone without saying their name.