More Than a Thesis: How the MLA Shapes Writers
In the MLA, the thesis becomes a sustained process of testing ideas, expanding imagination, and cultivating one’s own voice.
Born in Medellín to a father who served in the Colombian Army, Felipe González Giraldo spent his youth living in multiple international cities, from South Korea to Panama to the United States. His early experiences instilled a respect for those who serve in uniform, skills in engaging with people from different cultures, and a fascination with his family’s own story.
Those values guided Felipe as he wrote his first novel, Seúl 88 (Seoul 88), which he drafted and revised as a thesis project for the University of Chicago Master of Liberal Arts (MLA). In the MLA, he discovered both the intellectual freedom and the academic structure he needed to embark on an ambitious creative endeavor. By the end of the program, he’d made a tremendous leap toward his artistic goals, producing a singular literary work shaped by his personal background and his nation’s history.
An Intellectual Journey
Felipe’s career as an attorney took him from working as a risk analyst and internal investigations coordinator in the oil and gas industry to his current role at a non-governmental organization. As chief of litigation for the Military Defense Corporation, he now provides guidance and training in human rights and international humanitarian law for fellow lawyers who advocate on behalf of military personnel.
As Felipe pursued professional opportunities and started a family, he also made time for his educational and creative interests. Having already earned his Master of Laws at the Universidad Externado de Colombia, he chose to take a different direction when he enrolled in the UChicago MLA.
Felipe was drawn to the online liberal arts program in part because it was a way to attend one of the world’s best universities, benefiting from UChicago’s exceptional faculty and resources without leaving Colombia. He was drawn to the multidisciplinary course offerings and eager to join an academic culture of open inquiry alongside peers from around the world.
“When I looked at the curriculum, I realized I could explore so many specific areas of interest, and that gave me the liberty that I wanted,” Felipe said. “The MLA is built to boost your abilities or strengthen your weaknesses.”
Finding Support and Lasting Inspiration
According to MLA Program Director Tim Murphy, Felipe’s story epitomizes the transformative nature of the program. The wide-ranging curriculum ushers a diverse cohort of accomplished individuals beyond their comfort zones and grants them access to unforeseen possibilities.
“Felipe enrolled – and excelled – in a lot of social science courses, wrestling with how humans perceive and react to the world around us,” Tim said. “Toward the end of the program, he read a Hemingway short story in a fiction course and a Tolstoy novel in a Russian history course. Something then clicked, and here we are today celebrating the publication of his novel.”
With Tim’s encouragement, Felipe felt liberated to pursue the creative project that he’d been imagining for years and to do so in his first language.
MLA Writing Advisor Millie Rey supported Felipe through the process of developing his project proposal, talking through his ideas and clarifying his focus. She also helped to identify the right faculty advisor for his unique project, Senior Instructional Professor Nené Lozada.
Nené, who is an anthropology scholar and serves as director of the Spanish Language Program, read and provided valuable feedback on multiple versions of Felipe’s manuscript. She helped to refine his novel’s structure while maintaining his voice.
“I appreciated the rigor with which he approached his project,” Millie said. “I’m really proud of Felipe and of the fact that the MLA is a rigorous and flexible program that helps students accomplish what they want to.”
A Story of Family and National Identity
Seúl 88 is a fictional narrative about a Colombian military family, modeled after Felipe’s own, and their experiences in South Korea. The inspiration for the novel begins with the true story of the Colombian Battalion, dispatched by President Laureano Gómez in 1951 to serve under United Nations Command in the Korean War.
Once the infantrymen returned home in 1954, Colombia did not send a military attaché to South Korea until after the June Democratic Struggle of 1987. These mass protests led to reforms establishing the Republic of Korea, the form of government that endures today. In the wake of that seismic change, Colombia ordered Felipe’s father, accompanied by his family, to South Korea as a representative to the new government and the United Nations Command.
Though Felipe was just a baby when he took this first trip to South Korea, he sees the late 80s as a remarkable time that’s worthy of deep exploration. His family travels took place on the eve of a major turning point in the Cold War, just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and they were present for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Felipe’s novel captures the lore that he grew up hearing and builds upon those reminiscences with insights from both primary and secondary research. He conducted interviews with family members and, taking advantage of his electronic access to the UChicago library’s resources, delved into historical evidence from sources like government records, biographies, and journalism from the period.
“I think it’s a pretty beautiful story to highlight the sacrifice of the Colombian veterans that fought in the Korean War and in recognition of my family,” Felipe said. “We had a unique experience that no one else had and no one will ever have.”
Releasing the novel through the independent Colombian publisher Escarabajo Editorial was the culmination of a longtime goal, but also just the beginning of a new path in Felipe’s life.
“I have always wanted to be a writer,” he said. “I hope and pray to be recognized for the quality of my work.”
Since completing the MLA, Felipe has continued to pursue his educational and artistic goals. He completed a master’s degree in creative writing from the Universidad Internacional de Valencia in 2025 and has slated a collection of short stories for publication.
By continually seeking opportunities for personal growth, Felipe established himself as a professional in a creative field that he’s passionate about. His time in the MLA paved the way to embrace his vocation with a work that honors his past and points the way toward his future as an author.
The rich intellectual environment of the MLA program invites people like Felipe to delve into their interests, encounter diverse perspectives, and participate in open dialogue. If you’re interested in exchanging and sharpening your ideas across multiple disciplines, take our quiz to find out if the MLA right for you.
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