Faith Wykle ’21

Now located: Hampton, New Hampshire

What clubs, sports, other activities are you normally involved in?
Glee Club, Smith’s Classics Journal, Classics Department Liaison, Gold Key, off-campus job.

If you had to pick a book genre to represent Smithies, what would it be and why?
This may sound strange, but I’d say so-called “classic literature”, because Smithies are in the business of reinvention and reevaluation. They’re constantly looking to transform our understanding and critically examine society and its judgments, and one of my favorite ways I’ve seen that in action is watching my classmates tear into Wordsworth, Austen or Homer and totally change my perspective.

“Smithies are constantly looking to transform our understanding and critically examine society and its judgments.”

What’s one thing about you that has changed since you first came to Smith?
Well, I cut my hair! In all seriousness though, I ended up majoring in two things that I never thought I would, and from that has stemmed a new confidence in being able to find my purpose and place in life. Before, I was always striving for something, but I never knew what. Now, I have confidence in my ability to use my purpose to find my place—and my people!

Is there one thing about the crisis recently that’s made you particularly resilient?
As a rule, I’m a pretty independent person, but during this crisis my friends, family and coworkers have helped make me resilient. They’ve surrounded me with such kindness (and excellent humor!) that it’s helped offset the shock and fear of it all. I’m finding friends in places I didn’t expect and have experienced such an outpouring of support from the greater Smith community that I’m realizing that there are resources and kindnesses beyond what I ever thought possible. 

How have your interactions changed with your friends, professors, classmates since the crisis started?
There’s been such an overwhelming amount of compassion and kindness from my professors, as well as a good deal of humor on all ends. These are all qualities that I’d associate with Smith’s community usually, but they’re just so overwhelmingly present right now. There’s a lot of laughter, an increased willingness to just discuss something because it brings us joy, but also a constant desire to strategize with the greatest empathy. With the professors, this can be figuring out a new class structure, with my friends, it can be planning our next online movie night or FaceTime call—we’re all planners by nature, and it’s wonderful to see that intertwine with kindness.

Is there any way that your studies have become more rich, deep or interesting?
Especially over the two-week break, I spent a lot of time trying to find some sense of normalcy. Part of how I’ve done that is by throwing myself into academic side projects that always seem to get short-changed during the chaos of the school year. I’ve been formulating my reading list for my honors thesis next year, working on a translation of Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” and making headway on my final piece for my Advanced Fiction Writing course. Working on these solo projects has given me the space to reflect on how Smith has changed me as a scholar, and has given me an even more fervent sense of purpose coming out of all this.

Has any message from a friend or someone you know particularly struck you during this time?
I was emailing with a Smith alum in Portland, Maine, and her sign-off resonated with me: “With gratitude for our friendship, and for you being you. It's such a pleasure and joy to know you.” There was such a simple joy to it and a gratitude for just connecting with someone during this chaotic time. This is how I feel about everyone from Smith, and I’m glad that someone far wiser than I summed up my feelings so concisely! 

Is there any other message you’d like to include to the wider Smith community?
“I have such gratitude for our friendship, and it’s such a pleasure and joy to know you. We’ll take care of each other, and listen to one another through all of this.”

Smithie Snapshots is a new profile series highlighting members of the Smith community, located all over the world.