Graduate Profile: Anna Dorothy Guterman, MTS '24

Favorite Class or Professor 

Some of my favorite classes were "Philosophical and Poetic Sanskrit" with Nell Hawley, Parimal Patil, and Patrick Cummins, and "Persian" with Mojtaba Ebrahimian. My two research languages have always helped ground me in my passion for the traditions I work with. I also deeply enjoyed "Persian Sufi Literature" with Nicholas Boylston and "Exploring the Qur'an" with Mohsen Goudarzi, who are both incredible teachers.  

Message of Thanks  

I thank my family and friends for supporting me through the difficult times in my personal life that impacted my time at HDS. I'm grateful for my undergraduate mentors from Naropa University, and in particular Ben Williams, for encouraging my continuation of the academic study of religion. I also thank my advisor at HDS, Frank Clooney, for his help structuring the ideal set of courses during my time here and for his kind, gracious spirit. I'm grateful for every professor who has articulated the potential they see in me. 

What I Hope to Be Remembered By 

I hope to be remembered by the vulnerability and grace with which I handled my dad's death during my second semester at HDS. I became the executor of his estate, gaining new, heavy financial and legal responsibilities on top of my academic commitments. I was forced to become comfortable communicating with my professors and peers about new academic and social boundaries I had after this devastating, unexpected event. I love talking about my experience of grief because it's something I believe we all need to become more comfortable with, and I am proud of my commitment to my academic work despite the personal trials I experienced while studying at HDS. 

Future Plans 

I am so grateful to be continuing my scholarly path as a PhD student at the University of Virginia Department of Religious Studies under the guidance of John Nemec and Shankar Nair. I will examine the intersections of spiritual and musical discipline as discussed in Sanskrit-Persian translations of religious and musicological texts in the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries in South Asia.