Kevin August Rutledge'24
BA English Honors
Pronouns: He/They

How did you hear about Stony Brook?
My sophomore year at City College, technically. Well, between whisperings at the end of high school and an old partner’s adoration for its impressively rigorous STEM programs, I knew of SBU. But a mentor I connected with at City College was a proud alumni of the Department of English, and it was through his honeyed praise that I began considering the institution as a place for me. Thanks, Mr. Lewis!

On Stony Brook:
For a city so rich with eccentric people and culture, you’d think it’d be harder to feel isolated. But sitting at the relatively quiet edge of Manhattan, any student of City College not busy with trying to get by is quickly seduced by the allure of New York City, and its looming gothic architecture made my time there more haunting than I was willing to bear. I adore the faculty I met, but I needed an environment that made me feel like I was a part of something. I didn’t know what that “something” was, but I thought Stony Brook had it. I would later realize the word I was looking for was “community.” I’m glad I was right.

On his major:
I’m an English major! And while I don’t think I’m officially a PWR minor, I feel I’ve taken enough writing and rhetoric classes to qualify for a writing minor in spirit. I’ve always loved storytelling and I’m fascinated with how much meaning and complex themes can be embedded in words, in what characters say and how their actions are presented. I wanted to understand how we interpret texts and what those interpretations say about us, so that I could generate stories that others would have fun analyzing. TLDR: I wanted to study good narrative so that I could recognize and create good narrative.

Favorite class:
One of my favorite classes was Professor Kenneth Weitzman’s Playwriting class. Weitzman has complete faith in his students’ ability to create, and the sheer enthusiasm for the craft he exudes through his teaching style and constructive criticism is, honestly, infectious. If writing is my dream, his courses and support encouraged me to make it real. Some other super neat classes include but are certainly not limited to: Profesor Georges Fouron’s “Caribbean Immigrants” and “Politics of Race” courses, Literary Theory with Professor Timothy August, and Professor Elyse Graham’s “Creative Non-Fiction” course for my Senior Seminar.

Interests and accomplishments:
I love video games. It’s where my love of stories began and its where I most want my stories to be. I also love sketching, anime, and biking! 

Post-graduation plans:
I plan on applying to openings in publishing while I make my way into writing for the video games industry. I plan to come back to academia for graduate school in a few years. 

Career aspirations:
If I could work as a screenwriter or lead writer for Santa Monica Studios, Atlus, or Naughty Dog, I’d probably cry. Writing an animated television series or book would also be tear-worthy achievements.

Clubs or organizations:
I’m a part of the English Honors Society, Alpha Nu Zeta! I’m also lucky to be a part of SBU’s incredibly talented Camerata Singers, and do gratifying work at the Writing Center helping fellow students.

Advice for potential Seawolves?
College will be the first time you can truly embrace who you are, and in some ways the place you can express it in its purest sense. Take advantage of that. Explore classes, activities, people that intrigue you. Play with different outfits, music genres, books! You’re a sponge; suck up all you can so you can filter out the parts you admire and make them a part of you.

Listen to “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” by Baz Luhrmann wherever you stream your music! It’s full of great advice about life. A friend of mine would listen to it once a month to both humble and encourage him, and I recommend you do the same. You’ll be surprised with how easy the advice can apply to your life, whatever it is you’re going through. But if anything sticks, make it this “Be careful with the advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it's worth.” Remember that and you’ll be okay. 

Favorite SBU memory:
The packed Staller Steps on a pretty spring day! That’s exactly what I’m referring to when I say community. It’s also what convinced me college is most definitely some one’s twisted little social experiment. 

Parting Thoughts:
It’s been absolutely, vividly, heart-breakingly real. Thank you to all the people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m so glad this turbulent world has you in it.