How did you decide on the history major?
I discovered my passion for history in high school but realized I wanted to work in the field after volunteering as a docent at the Historic Mattie Beal home in Lawton, Oklahoma. As I spent time there and became more familiar with her story, the local history and the collection, I fell head over heels. I was the youngest person in the Lawton Historical Society by a few decades. I started researching things we didn’t understand about the Home to share with visitors and decided this was the area that I wanted to devote my career to.
Are you minoring or double majoring in anything else? If so, how do the two work together – or separately?
No minor or double major, juggling that with a family would just be too much.
What have you learned in a history class that really surprised you/changed your perspective?
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a result of a bungled press conference. “The History of Germany” with Dr. Sam Huneke was an awesome class. When it came to the fall of the Wall I had no idea how it all came about, I suppose I had never given it much thought. When we learned about it though and actually watched the press conference I was fascinated. To learn that something so monumental happened by accident and that the PEOPLE of Germany basically forced it to happen. That was neat to see and understand.
Tell us about your dream occupation…
My dream occupation would be working with archives or special collections at any historic university. I have an affinity for English Medieval history and recently was able to spend time in the archives at Christ Church, Oxford and also work with their special collections. It was MAGIC! I would love to manage the care and conservation of historic documents at one of the universities in England or some of the oldest institutions here in the U.S. There is so much to learn from these documents and to be entrusted with the care of that knowledge would be a dream come true.
Have you had any internships? Or interesting jobs or volunteer experience? Tell us about it/them.
I had the amazing opportunity to intern at the Fairfax County Circuit Court Historic Records Center in the fall of 2019. I learned how documents were recorded and processed at the county level. I worked with the court records of Clerk F.W. Richardson, who had the most ghastly handwriting! Eventually, I unraveled his “term papers” and made sense of it all. Using those records, I saw noticeable growth in Fairfax County. I also had the opportunity to work with amazing people and learn a ton from them. The Historic Courthouse is one of my favorite buildings in all of Virginia so unraveling its past was fantastic!
Any accomplishments you’re proud of? Opportunities you’ve taken advantage of? Brag a little!
Last spring I was lucky enough to attend the University of Oxford with Mason’s Study Abroad program and was attached to Christ Church. In addition to visiting their archives I was able to use their special collections and work with 16th century bibles, even one that belonged to Christ Church’s founder King Henry VIII of England! I threw myself headlong into the scholastic experience and with the support of my professors at Oxford and my mentor here at Mason I have achieved exponential personal and academic growth. As “icing on the cake,” while I was there I won the Charles & Polly Webber Award from Mason’s History and Art History department.
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.
I am a Scotch connoisseur. I love whisky, but Scotch is my favorite! I enjoy expanding my palate and comparing the different types, Bourbon to other American whiskeys and those to whiskys from other places. *Fun fact, if it’s made in Ireland or the U.S. it’s "whiskey," but just about anywhere else it is "whisky."