When I arrived on the Le Moyne campus I was not sure what I wanted to study, but loved social studies in high school so declaring as a history major seemed like a good idea. History requires the student to master both the details (who, what, where, when, and how of a historical event) and at the same time the why and context shaped by all these individual elements. I have always found this traversing between the big picture and the detail so fascinating. (I still do.) I also appreciated that many of my professors would also require us to learn and understand elements of culture, art, and literature of the historical period and it made the history more interesting.
Studying history also prepared me well for the professional life and graduate work I would later pursue. The requirement to read with a critical eye, research thoroughly, write coherently, and verbally articulate a point of view are skills I use and I can directly attribute my experiences as a history student at Le Moyne. I was also an integral honors student, and I was able to utilize the skills I honed during sophomore and junior year history classes in research and writing when it came to my senior honors project.
When I graduated from Le Moyne, I took a position in sales for a large food company and within two years I decided to pursue a graduate business degree I turned to one of my former professors for advice on school selection and a letter of recommendation. I completed an MBA from Syracuse University, and the time at Le Moyne served me well when it came time to research, write and voice opinions in class. It was while pursuing my MBA that I became interested in the field of human resources and organizational development. Again, I think this interest has roots from my love and study of history. I became fascinated at the various factors and elements that make up an organization, again I liked both the details and how they contributed to the big picture of organizational life.
While pursuing my MBA, I took an entry-level job in human resources with the same food company and rose through the ranks. I would eventually begin to concentrate on the field of organizational development working for other companies in diverse industries such as health care, information technology, and academia. I was able to work in varied companies and organizations, while my field of expertise stayed the same. I discovered that many challenges in organizations are common, just like many experiences in history are common. It is the differences in how aspects of history play out that make things so interesting!
Within the last few years, I completed a second master’s degree in organizational development from Johns Hopkins University. Again, I pulled on those habits and practices learned at Le Moyne, particularly because this program was incredibly research and writing intensive. I was confident to be back in a classroom engaging with professors and students again. I think my time at Le Moyne instilled in me a love of constant learning. Recently, I started my own consulting business so I can balance my love of work with my family and other interests. I still read the occasional history book for fun, and love to help my son with his social studies homework, though I am sure he wishes I would not pull out my old history books for reference!
My final thoughts are these: If you love history, study it! You can turn a history and a liberal arts degree into a successful career whether in education, law or business, or anything you can imagine and have not even imagined yet. The skills you will learn will last you a lifetime and you will be glad you have those experiences.
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