Zoë Wolford

Why did you major in Religious Studies?

Religious studies first caught my interest because I grew up in a very religious town in Georgia, but my family was not religious. I was fascinated by how much impact religion had on the people in my town. I was a SLE student at Stanford, and the Religious Studies oriented lectures were my favorite, so I knew it was the right major for me.

Tell us about your senior capstone research or a favorite research project in Religious Studies.

I received a grant to travel to my home town and write a thesis about religious released time learning in public schools. It was an amazing experience to write about something that so few people know about and something that had such an impact on my high school. I greatly enjoyed working with Professors Ari Kelman and Kathryn Gin Lum. Professor Kelman and I published my paper the year following my graduation.

Where are you today, and how has your degree in Religious Studies shaped your path?

I live in Boston, MA and attend Harvard Law School. Before law school, I did Teach for America in New Orleans, where I was able to teach a world religions elective to my students. Religious studies prepared me for law school because you read and write about as much in religious studies as you do in law school. Because of religious studies, I am also better able to understand dense texts.

Why should students consider Religious Studies today?

It teaches you to read and write and think, and these are really all the skills you need to be successful! It also helps you understand a diversity of world views. Religion will continue to inform political sentiments and belief systems, so religious studies prepares students to interact with and understand others.