I’m from Cincinnati, and I graduated in 2021 from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences with a major in History. My capstone, ” ‘Will He Make it?’: The Wayward Historical Memory of U.S. Grant,” won the 2021 George Newburger Prize for best capstone in U.S. History. Starting this fall (2024), I’ll pursue a Master’s in Library and Information Science at Kent State with the end goal of working in reference librarianship.

What are you up to these days?   

Since graduating from UC in 2021, I’ve worked for the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, and I’m currently working at the Corryville branch near campus.

What brought you to history at UC?  

I have always been interested in history and wanted to improve as a researcher and communicator, so majoring in history was a natural fit.

What did you focus on as a history student at UC?  

I focused mostly on the US Civil War and Reconstruction.

Did you have any favorite history courses? Which ones and why?  

Two that stand out are Dr. Isaac Campos’s History 4167: History of Drugs and Addiction and my History 5000 Capstone course with Dr. Stephen Porter. In both courses, I had a lot of freedom to explore topics that I found interesting. I also received a lot of guidance and support from Campos and Porter while working on issues guided by my interests, which was the exact experience I was hoping for.

What did you focus on in your capstone and why? 

My capstone, ” ‘Will He Make it?’: The Wayward Historical Memory of U.S. Grant,”  focused on the historical memory of Ulysses S. Grant and the impact of his popular conception. I chose that topic for my capstone for a few reasons. I felt that Grant was an unfairly maligned character whose reputation suffered because Confederate sympathizers had so dominated the narrative of the American Civil War, and I wanted to explore how that came to happen; I was also interested in exploring how the popular conception of history took on a meaning of its own, divorced from the historical events themselves. 

What skills did you pick up from studying history that have served you well beyond your courses?  

I feel that I gained valuable skills in studying history. My ability to synthesize information, make connections between events, identify historical themes and trends, research, and communicate ideas has greatly improved since my first semester as a history major.

Have any advice for current students?  

Be deliberate in your choices. The value of studying the humanities is in what you gain in skills and perspective along the way rather than the diploma you get. If you take too many shortcuts and don’t apply yourself, you will miss out on the value of the process, and you’ll be better off spending your time doing something else. Not everyone has the opportunity to study history, so if you decide that’s what you want to do, really dig into it and get everything you can out of it.