Elise Hegarty | Humane Letters and Rhetoric

First year at ACA: 2025

Elise Hegarty is a Colorado native, lover of good literature, aspiring personal chef, and above all, a disciple of Jesus Christ. She received a B.A. in English from Colorado Christian University, where she also studied logic, theology, and law. She also holds an M.A. in Linguistics with a focus on natural language logic and semantics from Syracuse University in upstate New York. While at Syracuse University, she taught composition classes for undergraduate students and led a freshman women’s Bible study, which inspired her interest in teaching and discipleship of young men and women. As a lifelong learner herself, Elise aims to encourage the development of critical thinkers who embrace failure as an opportunity to improve and learn well from others.

Outside of teaching,  Elise is usually spending time with (and cooking large quantities of food for) her family—she has six brothers, four sisters, and an ever-increasing number of nieces and nephews. Having lived in Colorado for all but two years of her life, Elise also loves outdoor summer activities like hiking, paddleboarding, and kayaking, and she is working on growing her library of classic and modern literature.

Then Man was born:… though all other animals are prone, and fix their gaze upon the earth, he gave to Man an uplifted face and bade him stand erect and turn his eyes to heaven.” ― Ovid, Metamorphoses