Hello everyone! My name is Cassandra Provenzano, I am 23 years old, and this is my first semester at Stony Brook University! I am a master’s student in the English program, and I graduated from St. Joseph’s University with a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a minor in Communications. While at St. Joseph’s, I joined the English honor society (Sigma Tau Delta), and it was a very tight-knit community of my peers that was always was there to encourage and help each other out, which I will always cherish about my time in undergrad. Regarding my academic interest, I am passionate about researching feminist and queer themes throughout literature. I wrote my undergraduate thesis on James Joyce’s Dubliners and how many female characters were queer-coded or simply went against the norms of their society and, therefore, were punished by the patriarchy that runs their (and our) society.
Additionally, some of my interests outside of school include visiting different types of museums and historical sites. I have been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art countless times, and it truly never gets old. This summer in particular, my girlfriend Vanessa took me and my two best friends upstate to visit the Lyndhurst Mansion to tour the inside and explore the grounds. I have also visited the Oheka Castle right here on Long Island, and because I am highly interested in art history, looking at the different architectural styles of these locations always excites me and makes me want to explore other places. My next mini adventure is to visit the Louisa May Alcott house in Massachusetts, as Little Women is one of my favorite pieces of literature. Alongside museums and historical sites, I also love visiting amusement/waterparks. Over the summer, I visited the Camelback Resort in the Poconos and the Kartrite in upstate New York, which are both waterparks. Lastly, I have always enjoyed astrology (I’m a Cancer sun, Pisces moon, Aries rising) and astronomy and frequent the Vanderbilt Museum’s planetarium shows in Centerport, which I highly recommend.
Finally my interest in this class comes from my career goal of teaching at the college level. It became even more apparent to me throughout the peak of the pandemic how important various methods of online learning are to students and educational professionals. I completed most of my bachelor’s degree online due to the pandemic, and I was able to thrive in an online environment thanks to the dedication of my professors to make Zoom classes enriching and online posts thought-provoking. As people and educators, we must continue educating ourselves on ways to assist students and society in using technology to communicate efficiently and better our lives, as it is such a prominent part of our world. Throughout the semester, I plan to better educate myself on the societal issues that arise with using technology and how we can minimize the impacts of certain people’s identities feeling attacked or dictated by the spaces created online. Building off of the idea that issues arise with the use of multimedia, I would love to be better educated on how to create safer spaces online for students and how to use media in the most optimal way for learning. There is a lot of media for people to consume, so it’s essential to know what works best for the audience you are presenting the information to and if it will benefit their learning experience or perception of the world.
Overall, I look forward to learning with and from you all this semester!
Cassandra Provenzano 🙂
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Hi Cassandra,
I’m really happy to learn more about you from this post, and the picture is great! I see that you and your friends have been outside touching plenty of grass, and glorious grass it is. New York has many great locations to explore. The Cutting Arboretum is a favorite destination and I’m hoping to get back there one day soon–have not been since 2020. I used to go there to have tea and read in the little cafe that is (I hope is still) there. Also glad to hear that you had a good experience with online learning during the pandemic. I hope to hear more about those experiences!
HI Cassandra! I loved your post. I have heard Oheka castle is beautiful but have never been. I am, however, very familiar with the Vanderbilt planetarium. I love the planetarium there, and I have since I was a kid. So, I agree with your recommendation to go there! Im not sure if you have been, but Avalon park in Stony Brook is gorgeous and is a favorite outdoor adventure of mine. They have a beautiful labyrinth that I often use. I recommend you check it out if you haven’t already! Looking forward to reading more of your posts 🙂
Hi Cassandra!
I truly enjoyed your post. I love how you and your friends visit museums and historical sites. I enjoy the architecture of old buildings (though I do not know about architecture haha). I think Louisa May Alcott’s home sounds fabulous and I just read an article about her home and other author’s homes to visit and stay (let me know if you want me to share it with you). Little Women is more than just a classic, and I think every young woman should read it.
Plus, it sounds like your pandemic experience was positive, which is wonderful because so many people struggled at that time. I am so glad to have “met” you and I cannot wait to get to know you better. 🙂
Hi Cassandra,
I am so happy to take a class with you here at Stony Brook. If you remember we were together “virtually” in some classes at Saint Joseph’s during the pandemic. I am sure you will thrive in this class just like you did in every other class. I love that you mentioned your undergraduate thesis, What a coincidence I did my thesis in James Joyce’s Dubliners” as well. I was also focused on the representation of women and patriarchal dominance.
Best of luck to you Cassandra!
Hi Cassandra,
Thanks for sharing all of this! We have a lot in common . . . I also went to St. Joseph’s for my BA, I also am here because I want to teach college, and I also love the Vanderbilt planetarium (although I know nothing about astronomy; I just like the planetarium). I’m looking forward to our class together!
Hello Cassandra! It is great to be in another class with you, and I also enjoyed our events for English Honor Society. I do enjoy looking into feminist themes/topics/works of literature as well. Little Women is a great novel, and the recent film adaptation was great as well!
Hi Cassandra,
Excellent post: I enjoyed getting to know more about you and your story. I was also a member of Sigma Tau Delta at SJC! I loved being apart of that collective as well. Wishing you the best of luck this semester