More than 100 staff members work in the Division of the Humanities. We'll introduce you to our staff in this continuing series.

Shekinah Thornton
Department Assistant
Departments of Cinema and Media Studies and East Asian Languages and Civilizations

What do you like most about your job?
I think my favorite things about my job are the people I get to work with, and the fact that my position is so adaptable and ever-evolving. I’ve really loved getting to know faculty, students, and other staff members in my departments. In one of the departments I work in, we started having weekly check-ins, and I always look forward to hearing what’s going on in everyone’s lives, what books they’re reading, or even dishes they’ve cooked recently! It’s been really nice being able to stay connected with everyone, even though we’re out of the office

What was the last good book you read?
The last good book I read was The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin; it was hard to put the book down, especially at particularly poignant moments. I would highly recommend it!

You might work with me if ...
… you want to brainstorm about newsletter content. I’ve been sending a lot of newsletters to folks since the pandemic began as a way to help everyone feel connected despite not being on camps. We want to make sure that people are aware of the resources and events available. In CMS, we even started a blog that has an accompanying newsletter to keep anyone interested abreast of the great things going on within our department. It's been great to see that connect people despite current conditions.

Since its almost Valentine's day... do you have a favorite romantic comedy? If so, why is it your favorite?
This is more of a comedy than a rom-com, but I really enjoy Death Becomes Her with Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn! It focuses a bit more on heartbreak and revenge than the traditional Valentine’s Day topics, but if anyone wants to have a good laugh they should certainly check it out!