[The time spent on the couches in the back room] was such a fun thing to look forward to before class and gave me a real sense of community in the religion department.

– Rachel Zieff ’23

Why did you major in Religion?

Majoring in Religion was kind of an accident for me. My friend from high school who was a few years older and a minor in religion recommended that I take a class with Professor Morgenstein Fuerst, so I took Introducing Hinduism my first semester freshmen year and then didn’t stop taking classes in the department. I was a religion minor for a while, but when the department almost got cut my sophomore year, I decided to change to a major and I haven’t looked back since! 

Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?

If I’m being completely honest I can’t picture my life in 10 years. Hopefully I’ll have the means to travel a lot and have meaningful community in my life at that point. 

Imagine a first-year student has asked your advice about REL courses. What’s the one she shouldn’t dream about missing? Why?

Any classes with Professor Morgenstein Fuerst are guaranteed to be winners. Her entry-level courses are what got me hooked on religion classes. You’ll learn a ton and they’re really entertaining classes. 

If you could write any book, what would it be?

I would probably write a book on my travels, which is maybe the wrong answer given that it’s not very academic. That said, I journal extensively whenever I travel, and I would love to turn my stories into a book at some point. 

Any fond memories of 481 Main Street you want to share?

Last semester, I looked forward to the half hour before class that I would spend with Evie Wolfe and Annie Barton in the couch room. We’d just decompress and fill each other in on our lives, sometimes throwing in a little nap or cramming in a last-minute reading. It was such a fun thing to look forward to before class and gave me a real sense of community in the religion department.