Celeste Elsbury
Celeste Elsbury
MA Student
Celeste Elsbury is a second-year Master’s student in American Studies. She graduated from GW in 2025 with a BA in American Studies and Spanish. In her academic work, her primary fields of interest are cultural history, feminist media studies, and digital cultures. She currently interns at a non-profit organization in Bethesda, MD, where she is exploring her interests in community engagement and nonprofit development.
Why American Studies and why GW?
I went to GW for undergrad because I wanted to come to the East Coast and I thought DC was really beautiful and dynamic. I entered as a journalism major but I gravitated towards American Studies because I realized I was more interested in studying everything “around” media, rather than learning how to actually make media. I also appreciated the historical perspective AMST offers. I stuck with GW AMST for grad school because I still had so many more rabbit holes to go down. I’ve found even more now, but I’ve accepted it.
What advice would you give to GW undergraduates in American Studies?
Take the time to do your readings with care. So much of what we read in American Studies is as much–if not more–about how an argument is constructed as it is about a particular takeaway, so to speak. It’s worth really considering the different methods people adopt. Also, if you have the chance to take a beginner language class, do it! I had the best time taking beginner Italian; it was a great outlet and the professors are gems.
What are you currently reading?
Milkman by Anna Burns and Yuppies: The Bankers, Lawyers, Joggers, and Gourmands Who Conquered New York by Dylan Gottlieb.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
Madrid, Spain.