Proud Roman and established writer Reina Hardy ‘99 now spends her time producing thought-provoking plays, screenplays, films, and novels.

From a young age, Ms. Hardy knew she loved to write. She said, “It definitely involves a lot of rejection and failure, but it also gives you the opportunity to collaborate with others and to write works that you love and you’re proud of.”

Despite sticking to the same career for her whole life, Ms. Hardy’s passion for writing never wavered. “I sometimes feel like I’m in charge of a crazy toddler who does the writing,” she said. “If I don’t let her stay in touch with the joy of writing, then she punishes me.”

Ms. Hardy added, “That joy of immersing yourself in something you’re interested in is definitely something I’ve carried with me from Latin.”

During her time at Latin, Ms. Hardy took advantage of Latin’s unique learning opportunities to create an Independent Study Program with her English teacher. In her ISP, she worked toward, and completed, a novella. Throughout high school, Ms. Hardy also wrote one short play and two screenplays.

And this productive writer is a firm believer in the benefits of boredom. Ms. Hardy schedules time in her day to deliberately be bored, as great ideas often come from being bored. “Sometimes I’ll [go] for a long walk, drive, or bike ride and listen to an album front to back without letting myself look at my phone,” she said.

After putting her ideas out there, new doors opened for Ms. Hardy. “What shocked me is that when I started putting in enough work, people started contacting me,” she said. “I’m always surprised by success.”

Among her successful works is “Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven,” a highly praised sci-fi play.

“I wrote it all in three days, and it was in amazing shape when it was done,” Ms. Hardy said. “So I will always have a soft spot in my heart for ‘Annie.’”