I came to Whittier College with many interests but no idea of what I wanted to focus on.
My best friend, a business major from the get-go, called me a nomadic student because my interests were so sporadic. My class schedules weren’t focused on requirements but instead things that I might find passion in. English, political science, religious studies, or film studies were my contenders but I couldn’t see myself studying them for the next three years. Then I found history in the spring of 2019.
I took HIST-207, U.S. History Since 1865, with Professor McEnaney. I was completely fascinated by the subject. I loved doing the assigned readings and found myself ready to contribute to class conversations. Professor Mc. brought this high energy to class that made it fun, even if the subject-matter was sometimes depressing. I always left class still thinking about what we had studied completely mind-blown. That’s when I knew I was going to declare my major the following semester.
I’ve found that history courses can be dark. You get down to the rooted problems of our society and within humanity itself. You get an understanding as to why things are the way they are. While it can be mentally draining sometimes, it's one of the reasons I love to study it. History is causation, but it’s also contingent. It's like the domino effect; one thing happens for a reason, but what is that reason? And that’s when you begin to research and theorize always learning something new.
I’m currently taking HIST-230, Introduction to African History, with Professor Ortega. We’ve been discussing colonialism within Africa, the African diaspora, and the ideals of pan-Africanism. All of these topics are super interesting especially because of our current political and civil rights climate. When the Black Lives Matter movement exploded over the summer I was really happy I had enrolled in this course. Black activists emphasizing how important it was to educate yourself on systemic issues regarding race relations was something I had heard a lot about over social media. This course has definitely helped me to understand the past issues and why some are still present in society today. I feel this is the kind of information you need in order to make a real change and impact in our country.
Studying history has been useful to other subjects as well. Anthropology, political science, and religious studies courses have been aided by my study of history. Many ideologies interact and it is always so interesting to see how that happens. It also makes class discussions easier to contribute to making sure to receive participation points always included on a grading scale.
I’ve never been much of an academic but since immersing myself in this subject I’ve found myself nerding out all the time. I found the passion I was seeking when I started my pursuit of higher education and I don’t regret it for an instant.
