IMES community profile: Emily Loveland
October 28, 2025
Emily Loveland is an HST Academic Programs Specialist who enjoys working with students, and tackles a wide range of duties for the HST academic office.
Mindy Blodgett
Emily Loveland has been with the HST academic office since 2023, and is current an Academic Programs Specialist. Read on to learn more about her background, goals, and book and movie recommendations.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
I grew up on a wheat and potato farm in Idaho on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. I am a stereotypical Idahoan, can tell you lots of random facts, and am definitely a potato snob. I studied humanities at Brigham Young University-Idaho, focusing on literature and symbolism in architecture. I decided to double master when I got to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and studied business administration (MBA) and library and information sciences (MSLIS), with a certificate in youth services.
While I grew up and lived in Idaho through undergrad, I have since lived in Texas, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, and now Massachusetts. I have loved every place I lived and am happy to be in Boston now. I moved to Boston because it seemed like a good place to live, found an apartment on Facebook, packed up my apartment in Kansas City, Missouri and drove across the country. I started as a temp in my current position in November, 2023, and transitioned to full-time in February, 2024.
I am the second child of five (two sisters and two brothers). I now have six niblings (nieces and nephews), aged six to one-month, and will have eight by the end of January (five girls, three boys). I am obsessed with all my niblings and even though they don’t live close, I am grateful for FaceTime and Marco Polo that allows me to stay connected with them.
Before moving to Boston, I was working as an Escrow Officer in Kansas City, Missouri.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I do a little bit of everything in my current position, but my main focuses are admissions, orientation, recruiting, community awards, dinners, and graduation. I also am the contact for the Joint Council (HST’s Student Government) and manage HST affiliate faculty appointments. I also am responsible for student data management of admissions, graduate funding, and fellowship nominations. I enjoy working with the students, and the rest of our office.
What is something about the HST program that people might not be aware of?
We receive 900-1000 applications each year and invite approximately 70 candidates to interview. We extend offers of admission to 30-35 candidates, for a final class of approximately 20 students.
What are your professional goals?
I enjoy being part of an academic environment where I can support students and faculty. Working in the academic office has helped me reaffirm how much I enjoy problem-solving, collaboration, and supporting a larger education mission. My current focus is on continuing to grow my skills in higher education administration and finding ways to make an impact in our community.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
My perfect day changes all the time depending on the season. I think for the most part it includes an adventure, friends, lots of laughs, good food, and a good book.
What are some interesting facts about you?
I love baking and having lots of dietary restrictions, has forced me to learn how to bake with different flours. I’m still not great at it, but I do make really good grain-free/dairy-free angel food and German chocolate cakes.
Other talents and hobbies include pickleball, volleyball, singing, cooking, playing games, and trying new things.
Is there a book, or TV show, or movie you’ve seen lately, that you’d like to recommend?
I can talk about books forever, especially if they are children’s or young adult books. Recently I read a picture book called The Knight Owl by Christopher Denise and its sequel The Knight Owl and the Early Bird. They are adorable. I also recently laughed through Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano.
On the movie and TV show front, my friends have a list of movies they think are quintessential movies that I have never seen, so we are slowly making our way through that. The most recent movie we crossed off the list was The Philadelphia Story from 1940 featuring Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn. So many great one-liners.