Graduating Class: '17

Ryan Robinson

Engineering (1) & Literature (21E)

What do you enjoy doing outside classes? Chill, play saxophone, and write poetry

Why are you a Literature major? I’m a fan of the humanism movement popularized by Petrarch and the Italian Renaissance. Works of literature, whether it’s Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda, or Stanescu, show how powerfully humans can feel, and it’s beautiful.

If you could live in a book or a movie, which would you choose? HITCH!

If you could only have 5 possessions, what would they be? Essential Rumi, headphones, iPhone, charger, 0.38 mm black gel pen

What would your superpower be? Always have the skills or information to get out of situations and help my friends (see Doctor Who) or the ability to have conversations with future me

What did you want to be when you were little? A criminal justice attorney or a scientist

What is your most memorable moment in a literature class? I was taking Howard Eiland’s Reading Poetry and he introduced us to etymology and the role it can play. We were analyzing a Shakespeare sonnet and he broke down the references to the Old Testament and to Greek Mythology.

Read more about Ryan here: MIT News: From blank verse to blockchain
Ryan was featured in Forbes Under 30: Meet The MIT Graduate Working On A Cheaper, Decentralized Option To Cloud Computing and Blockchain