Kirsten Reach is a fan of all things literary. She has written, directed, and acted for the stage, taught a semester-long English class, and helped archive the works of a prominent humorist-all before starting her first year at Kenyon.

A veteran of the Columbus (Ohio) Children's Theater, Reach has written and performed in several plays and has interned at La MaMa Experimental Theater in New York City. But her real love lies with writing. As a student at Linworth Alternative High School in Columbus, Reach designed and taught an English curriculum for ninth through twelfth graders. The summer after her graduation, she interned at Columbus's Thurber House, a literary center dedicated to the work of humorist and New Yorker writer James Thurber.

As an alumna of a children's writing program at the Thurber House, Reach was already familiar with Thurber's work-unlike many people her age. The Thurber House staff, she says, "wanted me to help widen the audience of his work." Reach combed through Thurber's archives for materials to enliven an open house and helped to prepare a videotape about the author's work.

"I also read all the letters he had ever written," she says. She came across one in which Thurber had written about a weekend trip to Kenyon. This unexpected connection to Kenyon's literary heritage renewed her excitement about her college choice. Soon after arriving on campus, Reach became a student associate at the Kenyon Review.

With a background as a writer, actor, teacher, and archivist, Reach recognizes that her career options are endless. But she is taking the time to explore the possibilities. "I have to figure out what I want from the English language before I bring it to anyone else," she says. "That's where Kenyon comes in."