Regan Driscoll
Equinox Staff
Having a variety of interests in a college that offers a plethora of majors can pose a difficult choice of which degree to pursue. Many students will stop at two majors tops, but why hinder that thirst for knowledge when there is so much available to learn?
One Keene State College student let his curiosity thrive, studying three different majors. Jon Donais, 24, is in his sixth year at KSC and holds a B.A. in sociology and women’s and gender studies. He is currently working on completing his third and final degree in Spanish.
Donais said he didn’t plan on working towards this many majors.
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He explained how he originally couldn’t decide and went through five alone on paper his freshman year. He started out as a music education major because he knew six different instruments and said he figured he would apply that knowledge to teaching. However, he said he decided to keep music as a hobby.
Donais also considered geology, education, and an individualized major in feminist sociology and biology. He mentioned how his family strongly encouraged biology because of a family background in medicine, but it was not his strong suit.
A proclaimed big supporter of HIV/AIDS prevention through education, Donais said while he originally looked at it from a biological perspective, he started looking at the social reasons, making a transition into his first officially chosen major, sociology.
He explained how he based his decision of study largely on the fact that he had simply always enjoyed studying societies and recalled how he read the entire World Encyclopedia when he was eight or nine years old, along with his father’s old textbooks, which included sociology.
Dr. Therese Seibert, sociology professor, taught Donais and talked about how she was impressed by his interest in learning about the world, public and social issues, and social justice. She said she was especially astounded by how informed and involved Donais is inside and outside of the classroom. Seibert described how he also had an empathic understanding of the issues and a genuine concern for social justice. This, she said, “brought insight beyond facts, figures, and theory and was more about him understanding humanity,” and included how, “for someone who is a young adult, I thought he was wise beyond his years.” His social conscience made him perfect to work on Seibert’s research project about rescue during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Seibert stated.
Donais said his interest in women’s and gender studies came after a traumatic experience that occurred between his first and second year.
He started taking classes for the major in the fall of his sophomore year and said he found them to be mind-blowing. Regarding feminist theory articles he expressed how, “You read through it and your mind will just be twisted inside-out, in every way.”
He recalled Queer Theory as one of the best classes he’s taken.
According to sociology professor Brian Green, Donais’ advisor, Donais wants to become proficient in Spanish. Donais said it is difficult to do living in New Hampshire because he doesn’t get much practice or interaction with fluent speakers. He took his first Spanish class in fifth grade and resumed again in eighth for the next three years.
During his second or third year at KSC he said he picked it back up again for two reasons.
He explained how besides being a life skill, he found the cultural aspect fascinating and stated, “Culture is always transmitted by language, you can’t quite separate the two, if you don’t understand the culture, you won’t understand why certain words exist, so you won’t understand the language.”
Obtaining three degrees is no simple feat. With no summer or winter courses, he said he took four or five classes a semester and that his first two degrees took about two and a half years each to complete.
With tuition continuously rising and no financial support from his family, Donais needed to find his own ways to cover the cost, one of which includes being awarded the KSC Parent’s Association Scholarship.
Donais stated when he tells people he’s triple majoring a recurrent response is something along the lines of, “why would you do that?”
“I’ve always been passionately curious,” he said. With that enthusiasm to learn he said he researches any interest and frequently reads up on any desired subject. In fact, he mentioned he has three, six-foot-tall bookcases in his room, all of which are filled with books he’s finished. “Jon exudes intellectual curiosity,” Seibert said, “He likes to be an informed citizen of the world.” Studying such a range of subjects gave him a well-rounded outlook on everything.
Donais explained how it, “offers a diverse perspective and allows you to reconcile two viewpoints.” He encourages students to take advantage of the opportunity and not only that, but knowing about a variety of topics he said helped him make connections which gives him, “the ability to think out of the box and think of unusual solutions to problems.”
Green even talked about how Donais is “very creative about the kind of work he does or the way he approaches his work… he usually will come and say, ‘I’ve given this a lot of thought and this is the direction I want to go in.’ More often than not its something I would have never thought of.”
He explained how Donais will think of what is new or what is different about a topic and expand the idea from there. Seibert even stated, “He’s one of those student that stands out as my learning from him…he shares and communicates a lot of what he learns and knows.”
She said Donais wants to enrich all those around him.
Before Donais begins a career, he said he plans on attending graduate school. Green said he has been encouraging Donais to do so because he said he thinks it would be beneficial to build on a degree with the combination of majors, his initiative, and his extensive resume.
Unsure of what he would study in a graduate program, Donais said he is considering sustainability thanks to his environmental sociology class, as well as his experience in Pondside III.
Learning about all of the “green” features in the building from the architect, Donais said he was fascinated and even implemented some in his own room. Other possible graduate studies he included were sociology and urbanism.
Regardless of what he decides, he said he can’t wait to get out and start doing things with what he has learned.
Aside from his own personal accomplishments within his majors, Donais greatly contributed the college to his success over the past six years.
He was a resident assistant for a semester, during which he created the Women’s and Gender Community, after his experience in the Health and Wellness Community. That same semester he became president of the Feminist Collective and had a second term in August 2011 until May 2012. Donais worked on student government as a non-traditional representative, meaning he spoke , or acted for the atypical college kids, such as veterans, parents, and older students.
Donais said he was one of three men ever to be elected as the New Hampshire representative for Take Back the Night, a foundation against sexual violence that, according to it’s website, “serves to create safe communities and respectful relationships through awareness events and initiatives.”
“Jon is a really nice guy…he’s grounded, he’s got a sense of humor, he’s talkative and friendly, above and beyond the call of duty,” Green said.
He said Donais’ type of thinking, how he makes connections and links conflicts together, is what professors look for and hope to see in students. All of these characteristics combined set him apart and make him stand out. Donais said he will take next semester off to work and will continue and finish his degree in fall 2013.
Regan Driscoll can be contacted at
rdriscoll@keene-equinox.com