First Impressions: Year One

     I think the most memorable part of my first year at SEMO was the people I got to know in the History department itself. Coming from a different state and not knowing a single person when I moved down here was intimidating at first, but by the first day of classes I had found some great people who were very inviting and willing to include me in whatever fun was happening in Cape. Over the course of the year, those people were more than just colleagues and fellow students, they became true friends, who I could trust with any problem. However, it does not stop with just my fellow grad students. The faculty in the History department were willing to do anything they could to make the year go smoother. All were willing to help whether you knew them or just met them in the hallways. The various departmental seminars and picnics were a great chance to get to know them on a personal basis and helped to relax the tension of grad school as the year went on.


     My plans for the summer are to go back to the state of Iowa where I have a few historic preservation jobs awaiting me. I am excited to get to work and preserve some of the historic places that have been important to me since I was young. The biggest project for the summer will be researching my thesis. I will spend much of this time happily sifting through old letters and archives in Missouri and Iowa to develop my thesis. Only a history student would love to spend the beautiful summer days locked away in an archive and reading old manuscripts. But I am sure I will make it to the river for a little kayaking and relaxation, one cannot spend all their time living in the past. I am looking forward to another year at SEMO and the chance to meet new students coming in for the new year. If next year is as entertaining, fun, and, at times, stressful in a good way as this year, it will hard to leave SEMO.

-Eric