Undergraduate Major: History
MAPSS Graduation Year: 2013
I came to MAPSS right after finishing my undergraduate History degree, with passion and general knowledge but little focus or understanding of the profession. Through taking Historical Methods during my fall quarter, I determined Modern US History should be my focus. Additionally, the Perspectives course and Human Rights courses gave me a foundational understanding of the interaction between academics and cultural change. Just as important as coursework were my interactions with peers and my preceptor during the thesis workshop the following quarter, where I learned to write for an academic audience and whittle broad ideas into a specific, well-organized project. Combining my interests in social justice and urban race relations, I worked with Professor Adam Green to write my thesis on Black Chicago’s response to the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s. Particularly enjoyable (no joke) were the days I spent in the amazing Regenstein Library digging into ProQuest records and microfilm for my thesis research. With the writing samples, skills, and public history experience I gained at the University of Chicago, and with recommendations from the excellent faculty, I was accepted into the History PhD Program at Loyola University of Chicago, where I am beginning this fall.
