Colin Harts ’23
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Major: English
Hometown: Amboy, Indiana
What would Colin Harts tell his younger self? “Don’t have any doubts in yourself. You can pursue whatever passion you want to pursue.”
It’s that passion that ultimately brought Colin to Butler University to study English.
“I chose English as my major because I had always had a natural inclination for it. I excelled at it in high school, so I thought ‘why not’?,” says Harts. “Before I scheduled my classes for my first semester, I found that I was really intrigued by the kind of literature that we’d be reading as well as the historical context that goes along with it.”
It’s that variety of literature—as well as the interpretive aspects and creative expression—that Hart says have been some of his favorite parts of his major.
“I have the freedom to explore topics,” Harts says. “I’m not just sitting in a classroom getting lectured to. I have a variety of projects that I can freely choose from. I have essays where I can delve deeper into the literature that we read.”
And the faculty relationships in the English department are just another bonus. Harts is able to lean on his professors for guidance, whether that is help scheduling which classes to take the following semester or tips on how to improve his writing.
That community, whether it’s with his professors, classmates, or other students living in his unit, has made a huge difference for Harts.
“What makes Butler unique is its emphasis on building community,” he says. “I feel like I have this really strong network of people that I can rely on for friendship, laughter, and support. It’s really nice to know that I have this core group of people that I’m not only living and studying with, but also going through life with.”