Cathleen Nalezyty

Bachelors of Science, Humanities & Engineering (21E)

“Becoming a joint major in literature was the best decision I’ve made during my time at MIT. I’ve always been a fan of literature and I knew since my first semester Shakespeare class that I wanted to continue that passion at MIT. Little did I know that four years later I would be graduating not only as a literature major, but also as an ancient & medieval studies minor! I expected MIT to offer some fun literature classes, but I never expected the range and depth of classes I would end up taking.
Most of all, I love the community I’ve been lucky to be a part of. Coming to the weekly Lit Tea sessions feels like coming home. I’ve met so many wonderful people – students and professors alike – and have so many wonderful conversations.”

What is your favorite lit class you’ve taken and why? Arthurian literature. Because King Arthur.

Favorite book or film? My favorite books (and films) are The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’ve loved them since I was a kid and I’ve seen the movies too many times.

If you could teach one class in literature what would it be? I would teach a class on early Celtic/Irish literature, particularly focused around the introduction of Christianity to see the mingling of the pagan and new religion. Not that I could teach a class on this now, but I would love to.

Favorite place on campus? My favorite place on campus is Hayden Library. I just love the huge windows that run across the second floor and it’s nice to be able to look outside, even if the weather isn’t cooperative enough to actually be out there. Oh, and it’s excellently set up for studying too.

What would your super power be? I’d love to be able to teleport. It would make traveling the world so much easier!

What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to be either an archaeologist or someone who studied mythology.