Ian McEntee

Majors: Humanities “Criminal Justice, Public Policy, and Hate Crimes” and Sociology with a minor in Government

Hometown: Thibodaux, Louisiana

Activities: President of Humanities Student Council, Member of Liberal Arts Council, and employee at Nordstrom Barton Creek

Fun Facts: I don't know how to ride a bike and I'm allergic to basically everything on Earth (including ink, but I have 9 tattoos).

Why the Humanities Program?

I entered the Humanities Program because I had never found a degree that covered all of my interests while simultaneously being something I'm passionate about. Before coming to UT, I had attended two different schools and changed my major roughly 8 or 9 times. When I transferred to UT and heard about this program, I knew immediately that this is what I was looking for. My interests have always been across a multitude of topics in the political sphere, and through this program I'm allowed to study all of them.

What led to your research interest?

I've always been very interested in the darker side of society and criminal behavior more importantly, why people commit the crimes they do. When I was a junior in high school, I was apart of my high schools production of The Laramie Project, which has always stuck with me. Then a few years later when reports started coming out that one of the perpetrators was actually in a sexual relationship with Matthew Shepherd combined with the Pulse Nightclub shooting where that perpetrator was also a frequent patron of Pulse, I became very curious about why somebody who was potentially queer would commit hate crimes against their own identity.

How has the Humanities Program contributed to your experience at UT?

I have been about to take classes all across campus and engage with so many different professors and classmates of all different backgrounds and ideas. In the Spring of 2017, we got together and decided to form a student council for Humanities because we realized none of us really know each other. We are a very small program, but we take classes all over campus and it's rare to have another Humanities major in your class. Through being president of HSC, I've been able to meet so many different professors, deans, and advisors on campus to teach them about Humanities to encourage others to join.

What are your future plans?

What's great about Humanities is that there are so many different paths I can take post-grad. Right now, I'm very interested in going into either human rights law or criminal justice or working for a non-profit specializing in LBTQIA+ or teaching.