Alessandra Mazzocchi

Why FSU?

FSU has one of the few programs in the world for Digital Humanities at the master's level, a program completely devoted to the topic and the development of individual DH projects.

Motivation to pursue a graduate degree

The freedom to pursue the path that we, the students, are interested in. As students, we have the chance to attend classes from every department where we find fit, learning practical skills as well as the scholarly research and having the opportunity to contribute to it.

Importance of research and work

I am currently working on augmented reality (AR), which implies a portion of computer-generated objects, a virtual layer on the real world reality. With the current pandemic and the necessity to rely on virtual classes, AR could be a great advancement for classes in any field, humanities in my specific research; students can benefit from the enhanced reality and engage more with the field(s). Moreover, the instructors and their teaching can be perceived as "more real," breaking a little more the virtual barrier in virtual classes or the theoretical obstacle in in-person classes.

Career Aspirations

I would like to work in the field of communication. During the past year, I developed a strong need for conversation due to the unprecedented events happening around us, spurring my desire to tackle the problem of incommunicability and communication barriers between people or groups of people. I would like to serve as a "bridge" to help people understand each other, in terms of cultural or corporate communication.

Advice for prospective graduate students

Do it! Graduate school is the best investment of time and money that an individual can make. The skills, the knowledge, and the understanding of the world are worth every effort (and every sleepless night!). Approaching graduate school can be terrifying at the beginning, but planning ahead is the key: for classes, teaching, workload, breaks, etc. Do it; you will not regret it!

Accomplishments during graduate school

Graduate school taught me how to be accountable and reliable, both for others and for myself. I cannot escape the workload and the expectations, so I learned to do less and do it better.