Highlights of Alumni Who Majored in History

Anselmians all over the country work as teachers, reporters, dentists, public relations and human resources professionals, librarians, and historians. Meet a few:

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Casey Breslin was drawn to a history major he says because he spent much of his childhood listening to the Sharpe series on long commutes with his dad and going to Civil War battlefields. (The Sharpe series of books followed fictional British soldier Richard Sharpe through the bloody Napoleonic Wars). Understanding and interpreting the past became a passion, and he was especially interested American legal history to prepare for law school someday.

The class of 2011 graduated in the middle of the modern era's worst recession, and plans for law school were put on the back burner. But by August, Casey had a job as an analyst at a major financial industry regulator. He considered this a good stepping stone towards law school and the general field of compliance. He used the detail-orientation that served him well, reading primary sources to help him track trade reports, and he used problem solving skills to resolve compliance issues between market participants.

The tough job market meant Casey learned rapidly what it took to move from one job to another, he explains.

I have gained lots of insights into how to make a complicated world smaller and simpler-because I had to. Every job seeker gets rejected sometimes no matter what their major. But my networking skills got me my current position which has been great and rewarding. Also Saint A's students don't know how much of a leg up they have in their ability to write well.

For the last 3 years, Casey has been an educational programs specialist at the Association for Financial Professionals in Bethesda, MD (just north of Washington, DC). He works with banks, consultants, and corporate training vendors to provide educational programs for financial professionals. Each professional needs a certain number of "professional development hours" to maintain their certification and Casey ensures that the programs are "interesting, relevant, and high-quality."

Casey says he still enjoys thinking about American history in his spare time. You can see his blog entry on Memory in the Former Confederate Capital of Richmond, Va.

History majors end up in a wide variety of careers because they have skills that can work in almost any industry. Financial services may not seem the most obvious path for some, but Casey says it has worked out very well for him.

History Minors

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I chose to minor in history because I had credits from high school that could be applied here and I just really love the subject. The biggest skill/benefit from having a history minor is learning to apply concepts to the past. Being an Economics and Finance major, much of the material learned in a contemporary American history class can be applied to economic and financial situations. I also think the amount of writing required in most history classes benefited me as a writer in my other courses at Saint Anselm. It definitely was great to have some diversity in my schedule as well and be able to study something much different than what you would find in an Economics/Finance course. My experience with the history department was great. Challenging, yet completely useful!

Asian Studies Minors

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I minored in Asian Studies because I think learning about other cultures and histories is very important in the current global market. The Asian Studies minor was also a good way to reflect on my own American culture and beliefs. I was able to connect Asian Studies to Chemistry through my research. I researched the chemical and cultural backgrounds of two ancient Chinese pigments (studying how they would have been made in ancient China, who may have made them, synthesizing the pigments myself, and analyzing them using spectroscopy). This was very interesting to me, and a good break from the "standard" chemistry classes. It has also inspired me to try and do something similar in the future.

American Studies Minor

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As a double major in politics and communication I have been able to learn about how our country and society functions, but not our history. As an American Studies minor I am able to learn about the past that has shaped our nation.  It wasn't until I took my American Studies class that I got the opportunity to read and analyze the thoughts behind important documents in our nation's history such as the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence.

Pre-Law

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If David Stamatis had not majored in History, he probably would have become an English or Philosophy major. But during his high school years, David liked his history courses the best. Not only that, but he was drawn to history because people’s behavior and motives always fascinated him, and he could think of no better way to investigate these issues than through the lens of the past. At the same time, he believed, history helped explained why the world is the way it is today. As he puts it, he majored in History because, “The past provides the answer.”

After graduating from Saint Anselm College in 2012, David attended the University of New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce School of Law. He thinks that majoring in History helped him immensely during his law school years. His History classes at Saint Anselm College placed an emphasis on writing, and he received a great deal of feedback on his essays from the faculty. Over time, he was better able to “make succinct points quickly and with persuasive effect”—skills that stood him in good stead in law school. As David puts it, “In a curious way, being a lawyer is very similar to being a student at its most basic levels. You have an opinion. If you want to convince someone of that opinion, you have to back it up with facts obtained from verified sources. Then, you have to create a cohesive argument based upon those sources. Frequently, you have to write out that argument and present it orally.”

Today David is an Associate Attorney at Parnell, Michels & McKay, PLLC in Londonderry, NH. He works primarily in family law and bankruptcy matters, but he also helps out other attorneys by doing legal research, generating draft memoranda of law, producing legal briefs, and writing motions.

David has this to say to aspiring History majors: “There is not a day that goes by where I do not learn something new. The best advice I can give is that you need to challenge yourself. To put it brusquely, know that you know nothing, and seek to learn from that knowledge. Take the challenging class or challenging professor. Get advice and feedback from those classes and professors, and apply it to your writing. You are paying to be at a wonderful, challenging place for four years; make sure you get something out of it. If you don’t, you are doing yourself a disservice.”