Student Reflections

Sebastian Arango: Reflection on History Major

Sep. 21, 2022—Sebastian Arango ’00 Picking up a newspaper these days, it’s practically impossible not to come across articles describing the challenges that the humanities face across the college landscape. History majors are unloved on the salary and employment front. Employers view the liberal arts as a quaint relic. For a student of history, however, it’s a...

Blake Hall: Reflection on History Major

Sep. 21, 2022—Blake Hall ’04 I was a history major. I double-majored in American history and economics. I found it quite helpful to have the economic theory paired with the history so I could understand how the world’s wealthiest country developed and how real world events drove improvements to theory (hello, long-term capital management). Anecdotally, a fair...

Wilson Hunter: Reflection on History Major

Sep. 21, 2022—Wilson Hunter ’07 First of all, the history program, and more specifically, the Honors thesis program, helped me because Professor Epstein suggested that I look into a career as an attorney. He said, “you’d make a hellacious attorney.” I have no family history of law practice, so I had no prior reason to consider that...

Jonathan Feldman: Reflection on History Major

Sep. 21, 2022—Jonathan Feldman ’09 I completed the history honors program under the direction of Professor Thomas Schwartz, the most rewarding academic pursuit of my life. Studying history has aided me in my personal and professional life, providing the ultimate context for navigating our interconnected world. Currently, I live in London and work in financial services focused...

Andrew Barge: Reflection on History Major

Sep. 21, 2022—Andrew Barge ’09 I’ve always loved sports. At Twitter, I manage product and revenue partnerships with sports leagues, networks, teams, and athletes. Day-to-day responsibilities range from consumer product launches that impact tens of millions of sports fans, to negotiating streaming media rights, to “Wait, who got hacked?!” For five years’ prior, I worked in the...

Jadzia Butler Reflection on History Major

Sep. 21, 2022—Jadzia Butler ’10 While at Vanderbilt, Jadzia was one of the founders of the Vanderbilt Political Review. Here are her reflections on the history major: ”I came to Vanderbilt obsessed with politics and public policy, knowing that I wanted to end up in D.C. someday. As a result, I double majored in political science and...