Waverly Deutsch

The question of gender, I think, is a really important one in the conversation that we're having because you're talking about love and logic. And very often, love gets attributed to the feminine and logic gets attributed to the masculine. And they have always been a blend in my life. And I fundamentally believe that they are a blend in humanity that we artificially separate into.

The question of gender, I think, is a really important one in the conversation that we're having because you're talking about love and logic. And very often, love gets attributed to the feminine and logic gets attributed to the masculine. And they have always been a blend in my life. And I fundamentally believe that they are a blend in humanity that we artificially separate into.

I have to be honest, and maybe this is a little too much information for your podcast audience, but I do not comply with gender norms. I never have. I was a tomboy growing up. I am... I call for a woman. I wear my hair very short. I have a deep voice. I frequently get mistaken for a man. I identify 100% as a woman, as female. My pronouns are she, her.

I have to be honest, and maybe this is a little too much information for your podcast audience, but I do not comply with gender norms. I never have. I was a tomboy growing up. I am... I call for a woman. I wear my hair very short. I have a deep voice. I frequently get mistaken for a man. I identify 100% as a woman, as female. My pronouns are she, her.

But I have always felt this blend of the masculine and feminine in my life. And it goes right to this question of love and logic. So as a woman who had convoy characteristics, that's what they would have been called in that day,

But I have always felt this blend of the masculine and feminine in my life. And it goes right to this question of love and logic. So as a woman who had convoy characteristics, that's what they would have been called in that day,

Yes, and I love that you bring in Pride Month because I think one of the amazing things to watch over the last several generations is how the younger generations have embraced this gender ambiguity, gender fluidity that when you and I were growing up was not really available to us. Nevertheless, let's go back to this conversation of how I did as a female in the computer science department.

Yes, and I love that you bring in Pride Month because I think one of the amazing things to watch over the last several generations is how the younger generations have embraced this gender ambiguity, gender fluidity that when you and I were growing up was not really available to us. Nevertheless, let's go back to this conversation of how I did as a female in the computer science department.

I was accepted by my male colleagues and I thrived. I did very well. You asked a follow-up question, what then took you back to theater? Yep. So I loved computer science and I loved programming, but I'm not a solitary person. I'm a social person. When I was thinking about what I wanted to do after college, I was pursuing a couple of different tracks.

I was accepted by my male colleagues and I thrived. I did very well. You asked a follow-up question, what then took you back to theater? Yep. So I loved computer science and I loved programming, but I'm not a solitary person. I'm a social person. When I was thinking about what I wanted to do after college, I was pursuing a couple of different tracks.

I had the good fortune during college to be awarded twice the Provost Scholarship to teach. And one of the times I taught in the theater department and one of the times I taught in the computer science department, I knew that what I wanted to do was teach. That was truly my calling. And if you think about a marriage of love and logic, if you think about a marriage of theater and computer science,

I had the good fortune during college to be awarded twice the Provost Scholarship to teach. And one of the times I taught in the theater department and one of the times I taught in the computer science department, I knew that what I wanted to do was teach. That was truly my calling. And if you think about a marriage of love and logic, if you think about a marriage of theater and computer science,

being able to structure a subject in a way to present it to people, but then to present it with a little bit of theatricality, a little bit of entertainment, a little bit of humor to make it more interesting, more intriguing, more engaging as a subject for learning. This is where these two things came together in me. So as a senior in college, I was applying for graduate degrees.

being able to structure a subject in a way to present it to people, but then to present it with a little bit of theatricality, a little bit of entertainment, a little bit of humor to make it more interesting, more intriguing, more engaging as a subject for learning. This is where these two things came together in me. So as a senior in college, I was applying for graduate degrees.

I was applying for fellowships and I was applying for jobs. And I was offered jobs in the computer science department of ExxonMobil, in the leadership training program of what was then MetLife Insurance, in the computer science departments of Digital Equipment Corporation. But I won a Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities to pursue my PhD so that I could teach. That's what took me back to theater.

I was applying for fellowships and I was applying for jobs. And I was offered jobs in the computer science department of ExxonMobil, in the leadership training program of what was then MetLife Insurance, in the computer science departments of Digital Equipment Corporation. But I won a Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities to pursue my PhD so that I could teach. That's what took me back to theater.

I really wanted to teach. And I thought that the way to be able to teach was to do a PhD. And I ended up doing a PhD in theater history.

I really wanted to teach. And I thought that the way to be able to teach was to do a PhD. And I ended up doing a PhD in theater history.

Yeah, my career is nothing but an example for twists and turns. It's an excellent question. How do I end up at Forrester? Graduating with my PhD, we were at the height of the late 80s, early 90s recession, and the Baby Boomers kids hadn't reached college age. College enrollments were plummeting. I was a theater historian. That's what my PhD was in, theater history.

Yeah, my career is nothing but an example for twists and turns. It's an excellent question. How do I end up at Forrester? Graduating with my PhD, we were at the height of the late 80s, early 90s recession, and the Baby Boomers kids hadn't reached college age. College enrollments were plummeting. I was a theater historian. That's what my PhD was in, theater history.