Welcome Post

Growing up, every kid is asked at some point or another “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I was certainly asked this time and time again and each time I’d give a variety of answers, not realizing what it actually took to be a part of that profession.

For example, I wanted to be a paleontologist for the longest time, but as I got older and began taking more science and geology classes I quickly learned that I was not gifted with a scientific or mathematical mind. I then decided I wanted to be a funeral director, but that dream was quickly crushed when I found out that it required university-level biology.

Despite all of my imaginary career changes, I also had an ongoing passion for history that I thought was limited to just a hobby. However, it slowly dawned on me that being a historian was what really fit my interests and aspirations in life. As I delved more into researching and writing, I noticed that there was a huge divide between academic historical research and the public – whether it be through the use of academic jargon that makes a paper almost unreadable or even being able to access the article in the first place. After identifying this as an issue, I wanted to help bridge this gap between academia and the public, and that’s how I found out about public history!

That is how I now found myself in Western University’s Public History MA program and writing this blog! It is supposed to help us increase our online presence and get familiar with interacting with the public through digital means. Going into this, I had minimal knowledge of blog creation and website building – I eventually figured it out after looking up one too many ‘how-tos’ – but we’re here now! This is a learning opportunity, and I’m very excited to expand my knowledge of podcasting, blogging, and conducting historical research on a profession level.

Looking ahead, I’m predicting that many of my posts will be centered around me reflecting on my thoughts about grad school, assignments, researching, and maybe a couple of themed posts related to my own research.