Davin Searls came to Sarah Lawrence without specific ideas of what he wanted to study—though he brought an interest in writing and literature in general. When it came time to interview for first-year classes, however, another subject caught his attention.

“I decided to interview for film history on a whim,” he says, then adds, “I almost passed it by.”

Sarah Lawrence’s distinctive interview process opened the door; film history professor Malcolm Turvey did the rest.

“What Malcolm had to say in the interview captivated me, and I decided to go ahead and register for his class,” says Davin.

The following year, Davin asked Malcolm to be his don; since then, Davin’s interest in film has both expanded and combined with other interests.

“I’ve been able to incorporate psychology into my film history work, or into literature, and literature into film history,” he says. “That ability to integrate various subjects at Sarah Lawrence—especially through conference work—allows you to take the concepts you learn in one area and reapply them in a different venue.”

Davin has been active in student government, serving as a class officer and member of the Student Senate.  In addition, he co-chairs Beyond Compliance, a campus advocacy group for students and community members with disabilities.

"I also interned at the Early Childhood Center, where I taught six and seven year olds American Sign Language—I am a culturally Deaf individual," Davin notes. "I also assisted with the formation of a non-credit American Sign Language class that has been up and running for the past two years."