Graduate Profile: Lorenny  Diaz, MTS '25 

How I've Changed  

It’s actually insane how quickly these past two years have gone by. At HDS, I grew personally and academically in ways that I didn’t think were possible in just two years. I pushed myself outside my comfort zone, met amazing and diverse people, and embraced my curiosity. I came to HDS knowing the requirements to graduate, but every moment, from doing archival work to learning Greek (Prof. James Skedros and Prof. Judy Haley were amazing) to creating a TV show concept for CRPL, exceeded my expectations. I’m truly grateful for my time at HDS. 

Favorite Class or Professor 

Each class has been intellectually stimulating and rich in conversations, so it’s hard to pick only one class. However, one of my favorite classes was “Early Christianity in Italy: Religion, Archaeology, and Art History” with Professor Giovanni Bazzana. In this class, I learned more about the methods to study material culture, researched martyrdom in Italy, and exposed myself to so many rich and cool local histories through archaeology and art. We also had a class trip to Italy to see all the sites that we learned about throughout the semester. Even though this trip feels like it was a lifetime ago, I still cherish the memories of the company, the adventures, and the too-many pictures that I took. 

Message of Thanks  

Para mi mamá Leticia: Gracias por tu amor incondicional y apoyo. Todo lo que soy es gracias a ti. Te quiero. 

Para mi padrastro Yandry: Gracias por apoyar todo lo que hago y por tus consejos. 

To my boyfriend Thomas: Thank you for telling me to breathe, for supporting all of my crazy ideas, and for brightening my day. 

To my best friends Eliovi, Ken, David, and Cris: Thank you for your friendship, for your laughs and kindness, and for your constant support for nearly a decade (crazy). 

To the friends I made at HDS: Thank you for making these past two years unforgettable. 

To my amazing professors Annette Reed, Giovanni Bazzana, Ben Dunning, and Hussein Rashid: Thank you for your undying support, for your mentorship, and for believing in me. 

Future Plans 

I will be starting my PhD in Religion at Harvard University this fall! I hope to continue researching the representation of women in early Christian material culture and literature alongside the intersection of religion and media. This summer, I will hopefully learn Latin, spend time with my friends and family, rewatch Supernatural, and sleep.