Why did you choose to come to PC?

Presbyterian’s small average class size was very attractive to me. I had had previous experience in that sort of environment in my IB Diploma classes in high school and felt like it was really conducive to good discussion. Having a top-ranked history program among small liberal arts schools was also very influential. I knew that I was going to be getting a great education in an environment that allowed me to engage with my fellow classmates, my professors, and the material being taught.

What made you interested in majoring in history?

That is a tough question to answer. For me, it seems like majoring in history was always in the cards, as I’ve always had an interest in the subject. However, I think what really put me over the edge was finding my “historical niche,” basically the period of history that I felt like I couldn’t go without studying.  For me, it was late medieval and early modern eastern Europe. I fell in love with the period after reading Robert K. Massie’s Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, as well as James Billington’s The Icon and the Axe during my senior year of high school. From that point on, it was pretty much certain that I would major in history.

How would you describe your experience in PC’s History Department?

Nothing less than fantastic. Not only have my professors helped to develop me into a better historian, they’ve also been there for me personally. My professors have consistently challenged me academically while continuing to be present and sociable. Consequently, I feel like I’ve developed relationships with them that will extend beyond my time here. Moreover, the critical thinking and analytical skills I’ve developed in my higher-level classes will serve me well in the future, even if I don’t end up as a professional historian.

What advice would you give to students considering coming to PC and majoring in history?

Lean on your professors as much as possible. Because class sizes are so small, you will have greater access to the faculty than you would at a larger university. The history department will be more than willing to help you with your coursework and research, as well as with recommendations for postgraduate studies, submitting research, awards and grants, etc. They’ll also help you find ways to help you engage with topics that you truly enjoy, even if they’re outside of the main focus of your coursework. For example: in her Colonial Latin America capstone, Dr. Sumner helped me to come up with a topic that allowed me to combine my love for Russian history with Spain’s colonization of the New World. Thanks to her, I am now in the process of writing my capstone on Russian colonies in Alta California during the waning years of the Spanish Empire in North America