It has been our great fortune at HASTAC and the Futures Initiative to work with Kalle Westerling, Director of HASTAC Scholars. Kalle is also a Futures Initiative Graduate Fellow and a PhD student in Theater, where he is working on a dissertation titled “The Roots and Routes of Boylesque.” While we are excited to watch where Kalle’s path leads next year and in the future, we will also miss him deeply in his role within HASTAC and the Futures Initiative.
Kalle Westerling was one of the first Futures Initiative Fellows, and has been with the program since its inception in Fall 2014. In addition to serving as a graphic designer for the Futures Initiative, Kalle was also Co-Director and later became the Director of the HASTAC Scholars program.
The program has flourished under Kalle’s direction, with over 200 current members. Kalle has also continued to inspire an active, vibrant network of over 1,100 alumni Scholars. The HASTAC Scholars (about 80% graduate students, 20% undergraduates) are truly the future of our network–and Kalle has done a marvelous job directing these future leaders.
It is hard to single out one accomplishment from among the many over the past years, but a great place to start is with the HASTAC Interviews Collection. Here, HASTAC Scholars interview HASTAC’s various advisory boards and steering committees, providing insights into what it means to make an engaged, interdisciplinary, meaningful career. This is just one of the incredibly successful, member-driven projects that he has inspired, cultivated, mentored, and edited.
Beyond what is publicly visible, Kalle works hard to connect with each and every HASTAC Scholar through email, Twitter, and Slack, helping them to connect with one another, encouraging them to follow their interests, and shepherding projects from idea to completion. It is hard to overstate Kalle’s contribution. Thank you, Kalle, and all good luck with the exciting future plans ahead!
Read more from Kalle Westerling on The Futures Initiative and HASTAC websites.