Emily Maxey came to Boise State’s Interdisciplinary Studies program the long way around.
“By the time I got to Boise State, I had already changed my major a couple times,” Maxey said.
She started her academic journey with an associate’s degree in psychology and general studies from College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. Her Boise State career began with a creative writing degree, but Maxey, who manages Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (or POTS) and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, needed something more adaptable to her circumstances.
“I could do all the work, I could give great feedback, but accessing the class was very difficult,” she said. “I ended up missing quite a few classes, which most of my professors were very understanding of, but some were less understanding.”
Maxey needed a program that could capture her broad array of academic interests while offering a high degree of flexibility. That’s where Interdisciplinary Studies came in.
The program lets students mix and match three disciplines to customize their own degrees. Maxey chose a creative writing and arts entrepreneurship from the School of the Arts alongside the School for the Digital Future’s content production certificate.
Flexibility is the Interdisciplinary Studies advantage. Maxey is able to take many of her classes online. She also has the freedom to add internships to her curriculum, something that she’s done to great effect.
Last year, Maxey found an internship writing grants for Boise Vertical Farms. This fall, she worked at the Idaho State Archives, an opportunity facilitated by Professor Lisa McLain in the Department of History.
“It’s an absolutely fantastic opportunity,” Maxey said. “It looks great on a resume. It teaches you skills on how to work in a workplace environment.”
Her experience in the archives supports her own long-term creative goals. Maxey is working with a fellow student from Pakistan to explore the experiences of disabled people across different societies.
“Disability touches every part of society because it’s such a normal part of the human experience,” Maxey said. “Even though people don’t always want to acknowledge that.”
The end result will bring together essays, poetry, artwork and interviews with disabled people in a portfolio that captures a broad array of experiences.
Interdisciplinary Studies offers flexibility in course mode and material that suits Maxey perfectly.
“I don’t want to do just one thing,” she said. “I don’t want to go into a 9-to-5 job after I finish this. I want to do something unique and I feel like the Interdisciplinary Studies program is setting me up for that.”