James Cox '07 writes:
"Since graduating St. Lawrence and commissioning in the Army last spring I've had the opportunity to experience and enjoy many places across the country. The Army did not waste any time putting me to work and a few weeks after leaving Canton, I found myself on a 2 month assignment instructing cadets at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. While there I had the opportunity to visit several places including Louisville, Cincinnati and a few Civil War battle sites. I even enjoyed the opportunity to visit siblings both in Detroit and Nashville. Since that time, however I have been living in Southwestern Oklahoma where I've been attending the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill. While living there I was briefly able to witness the grave of the famous Apache warrior Geronimo. I also saw what is referred to as Atomic Annie. This is the first artillery piece to have fired a nuclear projectile in 1953. I also had the opportunity on several occasions to visit friends living in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area which included the parents of a fellow St. Lawrence graduate. I am currently back home and in the process of moving to Germany where I will be living for the next three years. It remains unclear at this time what exactly I will be doing once I am in Germany. However, I feel confident that with the skills the Army and St. Lawrence have provided me it will help me to succeed in whatever task that comes my way."
From Jolie Roetter '04:
"Since graduation I have found myself on a path that has led me through positions in retail management, Home Healthcare Administration, and this past August, has led me right back to SLU! I am currently working as the Assistant Director of Off-Campus Programs with the Center for International and Intercultural Studies here at St. Lawrence. I am also midway through an MBA degree with Canisius College in Buffalo, and continue plugging away at it as best I can.
My study of History at St. Lawrence has influenced me personally, professionally, and academically. I love to travel, and I can't imagine what it would be like to travel somewhere and not be intrigued by its past. I think that's why many students choose to study off-campus; the desire to understand how a culture or society has developed forces us to look inward. European History has fascinated me since my first trip to Germany in early 1996 for the Peace Talks, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. Seeing a place that had changed so dramatically in a relatively short time really demonstrated the importance of understanding where we have come from, and how decisions that were made years ago continue to affect us today. As a result, I took as many European History courses as possible, and I'm sure glad I did- what I go out of those courses helps me everyday when speaking with students about our European programs! Of course, studying on the France Program during the Fall of my Junior year brought the study of History into my everyday life- I was amazed at how aware the French are of their past, and how often they connect past events to the world today.
People don't generally think that studying history as an undergraduate can prepare one for a Masters in Business Administration. I believe it's the opposite! While many of my Business school peers had more experience with statistics and economics than I, I have found my writing and analytical skills to be superior. Dealing with international marketing, sales, organizational behavior and human resources, these skills are especially important and highly valued. I can't even begin to explain how valuable the research skills I gained as a History major have been- I can't imagine being able to put together a coherent business or marketing plan had I not learned to read, investigate, note-take, analyze, and question."
Paula S. Bogart ’07 says:
“I a currently living in Hilton Head Island, SC. I am a teacher at Heritage Academy (www.heritagehhi.com) which is a private school for serious student athletes and those with specific talents in the arts. My campus is on Daufuski Island and I teach psychology/sociology, government/economics and American history to today’s next top golfers. My classes are a mixture of students from all around the world and range from 10th to 12th grade. I am planning on applying and completing my masters within the next few years here in the South.”
Dr. Liz Regosin (history faculty) writes:
“I have a book coming out this spring with NYU Press entitled Voices of Emancipation: Understanding Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction through the U.S. Pension Bureau Files. I wrote it with my colleague Donald Shaffer. In addition (as Donna knows) Don and I will be presenting on this subject at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians in March. In terms of other news, I'll be returning to the department full-time in fall 2008 after 5 years of working in administration and I'm really looking forward to it!”
...and from Cassie Coughlin ’09:
“I am abroad this semester in Cork, Ireland. I am taking mostly history classes, the most notable is Ireland, Europe and America since 1945. I am also taking a European Studies and one Government class. It is a great city and I’ve been able to do a lot of traveling in Ireland so far. I’ve been to Dublin, Galway, and Belfast, and plan to travel around Europe over the next few months. I’ll send a couple of pictures in the future!”
Steve Hunter ’05 writes:
“I have been working at LaFargeville Central School as a social studies teacher. I teach Global History and Geography (world history), grades 9 and 10. LaFargeville is a small school with one K-12 building and student enrollment of a little over 600. I take graduate courses at St. Lawrence in the summer. It is hard to believe that I am in my third year of teaching. Time goes by extremely fast. I feel that St. Lawrence does a great job teaching students how to be self-directed learners. This is something that I continue to pass along to my students. In addition, St. Lawrence fosters an atmosphere of tolerance, diversity, and debate. As a teacher, I work to foster this same atmosphere, which is critical in a democratic society. St. Lawrence definitely helped me to become a better educator.”
From Adam Casler ’07:
“Things are going well for me. I’m still at James Madison University finishing up my Master’s in Counseling Psychology and College Student Personnel Administration. I will graduate in May...I’ve been visiting a few off-the-beaten path historical sites in Virginia, including Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s estate outside of Charlottesville, and Montpelier (James and Dolly Madison’s home). I’ve also visited the Barboursville Winery and Vineyards, where early 19th century VA governor Barbour had an estate designed by Thomas Jefferson. The estate burned down in 1884, leaving only the remains of the formal dining room, which was an octagonal shape....I also had the opportunity to get together with Brigette Smith who is in Charlottesville working on her Doctorate in History. She loves UVa, but the work keeps her busy.”
Claire Plagge '09 writes from Vienna:
"I am currently in my junior year studying abroad in Vienna! It is amazing to be living in another culture and I’m learning so much, especially since Kosovo just declared their independence. We are able to see first hand the politics involved in the European Union. Our history and government professors are very informative and very well-informed! We are learning about the history of the Habsburg Empire and the Integration of Europe into the European Union. It’s been great!"
Chris Boltrek ’07 writes:
“I got a teaching job in my old school district, Three Village School District, down here in Setauket, Long Island. I’m teaching 8th grade social studies, U.S. history from 1865 to present.”
News from Dr. Anne Csete (history faculty):
“I spent the summer of 2007 working on a short article for the Berg encyclopedia of world fashion and dress, writing the section for the Li People of Hainan. Before I did this I didn’t know how much history was “sewn into” what people choose to wear. I learned that the traditional Li arts of spinning, weaving, dyeing , sewing and embroidering of clothing is dying out as young Li people wear store-bought “modern” clothing.
I am currently working on a conference paper to be delivered at the end of October 2007. It is on teaching about World War II using two novels and a collection of interviews with Japanese people about their experience during the war. This paper was inspired by the course I teach on Japan and the US in WW II.
I’m really excited about my new senior seminar topic. I’m going to focus on the Republican period, which is after the end of the Qing dynasty, and before the Communist victory of 1949. This period includes the warlord period, the civil war and World War II. We will be looking at the period “from foreign eyes”--, meaning westerners, Japanese, and other Asian visitors to China during these years.
When I’m not in the office or the classroom, the first thing I do every morning and the first thing I do when I get back from work every day is go to the barn and take care of my two horses. I like the quiet atmosphere in the barn after a busy day on campus. I also like to work in my flower gardens.”
John Cordella ’07 writes:
“I am currently going to grad school here at SLU for my masters in Education, and I am student teaching
this semester at Massena High School with 9-11th grade Global/U.S. History. I am also working for the University, I am an Assistant Resident Coordinator with Res Life.”
John participated in a summer abroad program in Vienna in 2006. Here he's in front of the Mozart statue.
Chance Johnson ’08 adds this:
“I studied abroad last semester in Vienna, Austria, where I was able to travel around Europe and see some amazing historic sights...in Austria I took a course on the Hapsburg Empire which allowed me to study an interesting section of history, that of the Holy Roman Empire. I was also able to visit the Hapsburg palaces and many others. This summer was spent in Washington, DC, where I visited the National Mall, the Washington Monument, and Arlington. Currently I am teaching 9th grade global studies at Morristown Central School, Morristown, NY.”
Margaret Van Brunt ’06 says:
“Right now I’m living in Burlington, VT and working full time. I lived in Boston last year, where I worked and studied for the MCATs, etc., until this summer when I decided that I actually wanted to go to graduate school for history instead! SO now I’m working full time here and studying for the GREs, researching schools, and trying to get going on the applications so I can get them in by January. Hopefully I’ll be starting graduate school next year, if things go well! In terms of recent historical experiences, I haven’t had many. However, one thing that was exciting for me...is that my father and his brother finally located the grave of one of our civil war ancestors -- one of 6 brothers ...Jason Winans, the brother whose grave my father just located, volunteered at the very beginning of the war in 1861, completed his contract as a volunteer, and then reenlisted. He died only months before the war finally ended in 1865. My father and uncle traveled down to Virginia to visit his grave. We also have the location of another one of the brothers who was captured at Gettysburg and sent to Andersonville where he later died. We plan to travel down to Andersonville at some point to visit the area and his grave.”
From Danielle Weaver '07:
"I am enrolled in a Master's Program at Buffalo State College called Student Personnel Administration. I am doing an assistantship at Medaille College, a small private liberal arts school in Buffalo in the Institutional Research & Planning office. My history background at SLU has helped me effectively locate and utilize sources for my History of Higher Education class which I am currentley enrolled. "
