Alumni Spotlight: Amy Vandervelde ’21 looks back on Mac and forward to her dissertation
By Callisto Martinez ’26
The Words reached out to Classical Mediterranean and Middle East studies and English double major and political science minor Amy Vandervelde ’21 for a check-in this month. Vandervelde, who also served as and The Words’ Senior Newsletter Editor during her time at Mac, generously shared her insights on some valuable experiences at Mac and adventures since graduating with The Words this month.
What does life after Mac look like for you?
I’m currently in my fifth year of grad school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I’m in the PhD program in Classical Philology, and I’ll be working on my prospectus for my dissertation by the spring 2026 semester. My research focuses on ancient perceptions of the afterlife, particularly looking at variations and receptions of the Hades and Persephone myth. I’ve also been teaching a class on ancient Greek prose this semester, where we’ve been reading Lucian’s Dialogues of the Dead. Outside of my day-to-day as a grad student, I spend my time crafting (crocheting and diamond painting), reading for fun (most recently The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes), and listening to music and podcasts (mainly The Adventure Zone and Girls Who Don’t DnD).
What lessons from professors or fellow students are you holding onto in your post-grad life?
The lesson I always remember from various professors at Macalester is to make sure you ask for help when you need it. I keep it in mind for myself, and I also have passed this advice on to my students.
Are there any extracurriculars, classes, internships, or other experiences that have been particularly informative for work or life after graduation, and if so, how have they helped?
My time as a student worker at the KAIGC at Macalester provided me with a lot of skills that I have used in my time in grad school, specifically my work helping with International Roundtable (IRT) that helped me have confidence in helping to organize a workshop on Classical Reception in Spring 2024.
I also am very thankful for my time as Professor Geng’s research assistant, as an English Department student worker, and as a Copy Editor for The Mac Weekly because each of those experiences together prepared me well for further copyediting work as a grad student.
If you could give one piece of advice to yourself when you were a Mac student, what would you say?
If I could give a piece of advice to myself back when I was a Mac student, I would tell myself to enjoy taking the various creative writing classes, since grad school will greatly limit how much time you have to work on your creative writing projects.
Is there anything exciting on the horizon for you that you’d like to highlight?
I’m really excited to start working on my dissertation prospectus soon so that I can focus in on my own research. It will include me taking up a couple papers I worked on previously on classical reception theory and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
What do you miss about Macalester?
The free coffee different places on campus (English Department & the KAIGC), and my favorite study spot up on Old Main 3 by the Classics department faculty offices.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
If you’re going on to grad school and you see an interesting class outside of your home department, take it! Last year, I took a class on Milton in the English Department, and it is one of my favorite classes I’ve taken as a grad student.