Martha Harris

Martha Harris
Major: Communications
Minors: Global Women's Studies, Theatre Art Studies
Graduation: December 2021

I'm originally from Portland, OR and when I started at BYU, I was a biology major and played for the women's rugby team. I then switched my major to acting and eventually made my way over to journalism. I love reading memoirs and watching movies. My goal for 2021 is to watch 150 movies, and I'm currently at 80. My favorite podcast is This American Life, and I love reading the “Modern Love” column in The New York Times. In my free time, I love going for walks and looking at the moon. My dream is to one day play the bagpipes in a Scottish pipe band. My mom's favorite band is the Beastie Boys, and I feel like that tells you all you need to know about how I was raised. I'm running my first half-marathon in September, and my goal is to cry only once per mile.

What sparked your interest in your major? 
Starting in middle school, I became a devoted listener of This American Life. I would often listen to episodes on my bus ride to and from school. I'm the youngest, and after a new episode would come out, I'd look forward to debriefing it with my dad and older sisters, who were also devoted listeners. I liked listening to This American Life because I could hear stories from all different types of people. I felt like the podcast helped me to see life outside of stupid middle school drama, and I could hear adults talk about things that I was too scared to talk with my friends about. On the show, different people talked about how they didn't always like how their body looked, that sometimes they were scared to talk to people, that sometimes they felt really alone. And so, I got interested in journalism because I want to tell stories that matter and tell stories that connect people to the world and help them to feel less alone, like This American Life did for me.

What are people often surprised to learn about you? 
I used to play for the women's rugby team at BYU. I started playing ruby in high school. Our team was called the "Lady Barbarians."

What has been the most significant plot twist in your life? 
I feel like the most significant plot twist in my life was discovering that being queer is not a negative thing and embracing the LGBTQ+ community. I first came out to my parents when I was 13, and up until I was about 20 or 21, I viewed it as something that was wrong with me and secretly hoped it would change. I didn't tell most people that, but after I fully embraced my identity, I'm a lot more hopeful for the future, I feel like I'm kinder and more thoughtful of others, and just my whole outlook on life has changed.

Why did you decide to join the Honors Program?
Honestly, I joined the Honors Program because I'm pretentious and I wanted to feed my superiority complex. That's not the reason that I stayed in the program; I stay because I love the interdisciplinary part of the Honors Program and how I can pursue all of my interests.

What has been your favorite part of your Honors experience?
Hard to pick just one. I really loved all of my Unexpected Connections classes, especially "Race and Music," because I feel like in that class I learned a lot more about the society that we live in and about things that I interact with on a daily basis but overlook. I also really liked Honors 320, the Great Questions class, because I felt like during my research I learned a lot about myself and I feel like I know myself better after that class.

What is your next step in Honors?
I'm starting to work on my thesis right now, my proposal has been approved, and I'll hopefully defend it at the end of fall semester.