Discovering Growth and Fulfillment in the Liberal Arts: Stories from UChicago MLA Students
Students from the University of Chicago’s Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) come together to share their stories.
At the University of Chicago, a thesis isn’t simply an academic requirement, it’s an opportunity to test ideas, stretch imagination, and find a new voice. For students in the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) program, the culminating project marks both an end and a beginning: the moment when intellectual exploration takes shape and reflects each student’s unique vision.
For Irene Khatib, a radiologist, and Mark Heaney, the Chief Executive Officer of DTRT Health Acquisition Corp, that moment arrived in unexpected ways. They came to the MLA from different backgrounds, but each discovered that the thesis could become more than a special project — it could be a creative turning point. Their journeys show how the MLA challenges students to expand their perspectives and refine their voices as writers.
Individualized Writing Guidance
Beginning in their first course, students benefit from the guidance of the MLA Writing Advisor, Millie Rey, who works closely with them throughout their time in the program.
“We encourage rigor and academic engagement, but the project is also about manifesting something you’ve wanted to do that ultimately can come to life because the MLA program provides the necessary space and structure,” Millie said.
In addition to one-on-one feedback, Millie leads writing workshops that cover a variety of writing principles. Beginning in the first year, she encourages students to attend a thesis proposal workshop so they can begin to investigate the endless possibilities for their project early in their time in the program. Students often end up thinking about a few different topics and approaches before settling on the best fit.
“It’s wonderful to see how people will go down one path and then realize, ‘Wait a minute, I didn’t know I could do this other thing,’” Millie said.
Finding the Right Story to Tell
For Irene, that exploration meant moving away from professional topics tied to her career in radiology. After working with Millie, she shifted to the idea of a narrative, contemplating a memoir that would contrast her life in the U.S. with her husband’s upbringing in Syria.
“Millie has always been supportive, giving me space to think about how I should proceed,” Irene said. “Her positive feedback and patient advice have helped me immeasurably on this writing journey.”
Irene also consulted with her academic advisor, Associate Professor of Sociology Omar McRoberts, and ultimately decided to write a fictional piece that synthesized the concepts she’d been exploring. Rather than sharing her own story, she adopted the viewpoint of a single character to examine broader questions of cultural identity and universal human dignity.
“I have always been interested in human rights issues, and if there is a way to make the world a better place—no matter how small the positive change might seem—then I am all for it,” Irene said.
Once she’d settled on a project, Irene faced the challenge of accessing her main character’s mindset. Techniques from her first MLA course, The Ethnographic Tradition, proved invaluable. Drawing on field observations of immigrant communities around the Chicago area, she considered how her character’s social milieu might shape his thoughts and attitudes.
“By being exposed to and participating in exercises used by sociologists, I learned to be more observant of my surroundings, which helped sharpen my writing skills,” Irene said.
Irene applied those observational techniques and exercised empathy to look at the world through different eyes. Writing a story rather than a traditional thesis allowed her to present one person’s experience and evoke emotional reactions in her readers.
“The MLA opened my mind to new ideas and directed me to recognize the seething potential of the written word,” Irene said. “Overall, the program enriched my writing skills and allowed me to become a more aware person—not to mention a better person.”
A Poetic Journey
Mark’s path was different but no less transformative. Initially envisioning a thesis that would align with his history of leading companies that specialize in home health services, he shifted course after a conversation with MLA program director Tim Murphy prompted him to pursue his long-standing interest in poetry.
“As a closet poet, with almost no understanding of what defined poetry as distinct from verse or even just a grouping of words, I learned that I could work with a professor to study the art (and science) of poetry and to help me with my writing,” Mark said.
David Wray, an associate professor in the Department of Classics advised Mark as he approached the challenge of crafting a fully realized poetic work. Mark also met with Millie frequently for close readings of his drafts and detailed feedback.
“We edited in live readings, line by line, page by page,” Mark said. “Each edit was carefully discussed, considered, and adopted or not.”
Over Mark’s time in the MLA program, he went from feeling intimidated by the University’s academic reputation to embracing the opportunity to collaborate closely with faculty and staff. Fueled by challenging ideas from his courses, he could dive like never before into the imaginative and technical challenges of poetic composition, confident that he had the support he needed to push his work to the next level.
A Continuing Intellectual Adventure
For both Mark and Irene, the thesis was not the end of the MLA experience but the beginning of new possibilities as both writers and thinkers. The flexibility of the special project empowers each student to apply the practices of logical inquiry and synthetic thinking to a task that is truly meaningful to them. They can move forward with assurance that they have the intellectual tools to find meaning in complexity and advocate for their own perspective.
“My experience at UChicago changed the way I listen, think, speak, and write,” Mark said.
Irene and Mark’s final projects exemplify what makes the MLA unique. With support from expert faculty, engaged peers, and dedicated staff, students follow their curiosity into rigorous inquiry and unlock their creativity. Projects may take the form of fiction, poetry, or visual art, as well as traditional scholarly research, revealing how each of these pursuits fits into a larger intellectual and personal journey.
Learn more about transformative experiences in the UChicago online MLA.
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