I'm [actually] a double major in American studies and history. I've known that I wanted be a history major since I was in seventh grade, when I took Ms. Georgi's World History class. American studies I stumbled into freshman year under Professor Carol Clark's guidance ... it lets you take advantage of the open curriculum while also offering awesome required courses like "The City, New York" and "Race and Races." My favorite period to study is any period of tremendous change: I've done a lot of work in immigration in the last half of the 19th century. I'm most recently obsessed with urban history in the 1920s.
What historical figure do you find particularly interesting or inspiring?
This might be controversial, but I'm actually really fascinated by Jefferson Davis, the first (and only) president of the Confederate States of America. I've been slowly working through William Cooper's "Jefferson Davis, American" since the summer of freshman year (I'm a slow reader outside of academic work).
Your thesis in one sentence, give or take.
My thesis examines the phenomenon of museum dioramas of the Chinese mounted in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and seeks to extend Asian American history by analyzing how and why these predominantly positive portrayals failed to prevent the hostility that greeted the Chinese after their arrival in 1850. I may be the only person in the whole world who cares about this topic but, the more I research and write, the more excited I am by it. Yeah, I am a HUGE dork.
You were once a treasurer for the AAS. Any thoughts?
Being the AAS treasurer was a fantastic experience; the best part was getting to know and working with many dedicated student leaders and administrators. It was also a very upsetting experience in that there were often long nights (Dale du Preez, Raul Altreche and I stayed in the AAS one night processing check requests until 3 a.m.) and very heated and uncomfortable discussions. It was a very practical side of student government I had never tried, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the people behind the bureaucracy.
You've been an RC for Appleton, North and now Wieland. What has been your scariest experience as an RC so far?
The scary moments are the moments I can't talk about. Your heart skips a beat whenever someone leaves you a message that they "have to talk to you" without telling you why. My scariest moment, though, was probably coming out to the residents of Appleton my sophomore year at a Queer Peer Educator workshop. I had no idea what to expect, but I felt that it was important for me to put a face to all of the talk about heterosexism. My residents were all very supportive in the end.
You're graduating this spring. What are your plans for next year?
I will be starting as a consultant with the Monitor Group in September. I worked for Monitor last summer as an intern and really enjoyed the work and the company. I was fortunate to receive an offer at the end of the summer, so I had a nice safety net coming into senior year.
If you could, what sport would you compete for in the Winter Olympics?
Let's be serious: who actually cares about the Winter Olympics? If I had the resources to go to Torino, I would pawn them for a plane ticket to Tahiti. I'm much more interested in white sandy beaches in the South Pacific. For historical reasons, of course.
Any last words?
As a senior in my last semester at Amherst, I have the responsibility to wax romantic about the college, so here it is: I never thought Amherst would be as life-changing of an experience as it has been. If I could do something differently, I would have taken more risks, both personal and academic. That's what makes Amherst as exciting as it is, and, even if you fall, the school has wonderful resources and people ready to catch you. I love Amherst; I really do.