Katherine Booth ’25

Describe your major for someone who has never heard of your field before. 
I love being a religion major because I am exposed to many different ways of looking at the world. We get to look at what other people hold dear and care about. Religion is everywhere, so I think studying it is really important. A religion major can complement so many other majors like history, sociology, and government. I really enjoy how many different ways you can look at and study religion, there isn’t one correct way. I think some people might be put off from taking religion class, but I promise you it’ll be interesting and engaging! As for my English major, there’s a lot of them so you probably get the gist of it. 

Did you ever have trouble deciding on a major? What, ultimately, helped you decide? 
I figured going into college that I was going to be an English major. I happened to take a religion class with David Howlett my first semester and really loved it. I just kept taking more and more religion classes because they were the classes that interested me the most. I’m so glad I found the department and the professors because they are incredible. 

What is one preconception about your major that people often get wrong? 
I worry that people think if you study religion it might be in some disrespectful or condescending way. That is incredibly not true. I grew up religious and I just love being able to talk about religion in a classroom setting because it’s a place where you can explore and ask questions. People are curious and want to learn. 

What advice would you give another Smithie? 
Just try things out. You never know what you might find that you end up loving. 

What’s your all-time (big or small) favorite Smith memory? 
I can’t pick one favorite Smith memory, I have so many fond memories. But, there was one year when I lived in Talbot, that the house had thrown our immorality party. At the end, most people had gone home and the DJ left. But, my friend Allie got on aux and we played our favorite music. My friends and a few people we didn’t even know were the only ones left, but we danced until our feet hurt. We all wanted to have fun and didn’t care that there were only about 10 of us left. By the end of the night I had sweat off most of my David Bowie makeup. 

Describe a moment from a class that particularly sticks with you. 
I had a four-person religion class one semester. The class almost got canceled since there were only four of us, but I’m really glad it didn’t. That class was great because we got to learn from the professor and also from each other. There was a psychology major in that class and sometimes they would say something that would blow my mind. Because the class was so small, I just felt that I had so many “ah-ha” moments. 

What’s your Big Dream for your future? 
I have no idea what I want to do for my life career-wise. Maybe part of my big dream is to discover something that I’m passionate about and get to do that for a living. I just want to live a happy life with my partner (and hopefully some cats in the future). 

Who was your favorite professor and what did you most like about their style of teaching? 
This is really hard because I love all of the religion professors. But, if I had to pick, I’d say David Howlett. He made me interested in taking more religion classes in the first place. David is one of the nicest people I’ve ever known. I really enjoy how he fosters good discussions. He wants us to ask questions and talk to each other. He’s really interested in what people have to say and how he can share his expertise to help us learn. 

What was most interesting or unique about your house and what will you miss about it? 
Talbot is where I spent most of my time living at Smith. I’m definitely going to miss throwing underwear on the moose—and I’m not gonna elaborate on that one. I’m going to miss all the quirks and stories tied to the house. It’s where I met my friends and where I felt most at home on campus. 

If you could tell an incoming first-year anything about Smith, what would it be? 
Now is the time to try new things and discover as much about yourself as you can. You have really good opportunities to expose yourself to things you’ve never heard of before, take those. You’re gonna find people and you’re gonna be ok. You’re gonna be great. 

What is your proudest accomplishment? 
Graduating is going to be pretty high up on the list! I had to take a semester off a few years ago for health reasons, and graduating felt so far away. I think my proudest accomplishment is going to be graduating and becoming the person that I am. 

What do you think has been the most “Smithie” thing you’ve done in life so far? 
I already cut my hair before coming here so I can’t say that. Probably questioning authority and things that I was taught growing up. I think going across the country for college has helped me be who I am and learn new ways of looking at the world. 

What do you wish older alums knew about your class? 
Maybe they already do, but I wish they knew that Smithies are a million different things. We aren’t all women and we aren’t necessarily what they think we are. We want to make a difference, but find it hard in today’s world.