I am a History major graduating in Fall 2024. I’m not from Cincinnati—in fact, I have spent my entire life moving every few years, mostly along the East Coast. When I’m not studying, you can find me reading, sewing, spending time with my two cats, or enthusing about coffee.
What brought you to the study of history at UC?
It’s a long story. I started college as a Nutrition Science major, but I had long been considering switching to History, which I am much more passionate about. I think I changed my major after one semester. I also didn’t start at UC. My first year of college was online (because of Covid) at George Washington University, but I had to take a year off in 2021-22 due to personal issues, and family concerns forced me to move back to Cincinnati. I knew I wanted to continue my undergraduate degree, so I transferred to UC—partially because it was local and partially because I had heard good things about its programs—where I resumed classes in Summer 2022. My time here has been phenomenal, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t come to UC.
What are you focusing on (so far) in your history major or minor?
I’m most interested in the intersections of culture, society, and politics in early modern Europe and the Atlantic World.
What skills are you picking up from studying history that are coming in handy beyond your history classes?
All things writing—writing style, formatting, having a set writing process, etc. The historical research projects I have completed have also taught me how to find reliable sources and read them critically.
Have any advice for incoming and prospective history students?
Don’t procrastinate! At the start of each semester, write out all your due dates on a calendar and make at least a loose timeline for completing them. History classes involve a lot of reading and writing, and it’s easy to fall behind if you don’t make a concerted effort to stay on top of your coursework. At the same time, don’t lose track of the joys of studying history. The sources you read and the thought-provoking class discussions you will have will expand your worldview so much throughout your studies.
What do you hope to do after college?
More school! I plan on getting a graduate degree in History—I’ll start with an MA and then decide from there if I want to go for a PhD. Ideally, I would like to get a job as a historian in academia, but I realize that the academic jobs market looks rather bleak. If I don’t get a job as a professor, I will probably go into archival work or a similar field of public history.
What’s your favorite part of studying history at UC so far?
I love it all—the classes, the readings, the research, the professors. To quote my 12th grade English teacher, I am not a superlative person.
