Elizabeth Parrish Balazs
Student spotlight details
A lifelong lover of literature and language, Elizabeth enrolled on our MSt in Literature and Arts to deepen her passion while balancing work and family life, and has found the course both professionally enriching and personally transformative.
'Originally from South Carolina, I have lived throughout the United States while building a career in education, teaching high school English and Public Speaking. I have a background in Communications and Media, and English Literature. Alongside teaching, I freelance in editing and curriculum development. Literature and language have always been at the centre of both my professional and personal life.
'I first came to Oxford through the English Speaking Union’s TLAB scholarship programme, attending a summer session where I studied English Literature and lived in Exeter College. It was there that I met Dr Sandie Byrne, whose encouragement proved pivotal. In conversation, she mentioned Oxford Lifelong Learning and the different programmes available for part-time study. Sandie was particularly supportive of my teaching background and my interdisciplinary experience, and her enthusiasm pointed me to the MSt in Literature and Arts (MLA). I have not looked back since!
'Balance is incredibly difficult to maintain when pursuing an advanced degree alongside full-time work and family life. As a teacher and mother of two, carving out genuine thinking time felt like a herculean task some days. What carried me through the more difficult seasons was my cohort – their communication, humour, and collective encouragement made an enormous difference. There is something uniquely sustaining about being surrounded by people who understand exactly what you are navigating.
'Without question, the best part of the MLA was the residences and the conversations they generated – with my cohort, the course tutors, and directors alike. The lively dialogue, events, and topics created a genuine intellectual freedom that I had not experienced for many years. Being pushed to think more critically and curiously about every aspect of knowledge, while also finding real joy in the process, was something I had not anticipated and will carry with me long after the programme ends.
'Honestly, the course was both a career and a passion project – and I think the best decisions usually are. The programme has deepened my understanding of interdisciplinary research, publication practices, and academic writing in ways that will support my career in education, editing, and curriculum development. At the same time, it reconnected me to my love for literature and the arts in ways I hadn’t expected and couldn’t have planned for. The MLA reminded me why I became an educator in the first place, and how much I love to learn.
'Take the course! Curiosity is the single greatest way to keep your mind sharp and your empathy engaged. Oxford Lifelong Learning is truly transformative, and not in an abstract sense but in a very specific and personal sense of changing how you see the world. That is a rare and valuable gift at any stage of life.'
