I started the history major at Drexel with the intention of pursuing a career in medicine. As I continue my training in emergency medicine, I cannot express enough how beneficial my experiences at Drexel were and continue to be. Thanks to the variety of courses required of a history major, I found it much easier to synthesize and learn the wide array of information presented to me during medical school.

The education the department provided me in research skills and writing has been helpful as I undertake new clinical research projects. The most powerful skill I took away from my time studying history was a better understanding and appreciation for the human story. This has helped me to empathize and connect with the amazingly diverse group of people I have met during my medical career.

After graduating from Drexel with a degree in history, I earned my commission as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. My first tour of duty was on USS Gridley DDG 101 as the Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer. I was immediately in charge of a division of 24 people, all of whom had more time in the Navy than I did, and had to qualify in every watch station around the ship. The critical thinking and writing skills that I learned as a history major allowed me to catch up quickly and become the Officer on Deck, the officer on watch in charge of driving the ship.

One of my collateral duties was to be the ship's legal officer - essentially, to work with the judge advocates in the Navy to ensure that any disciplinary procedure or legal issue on the ship was addressed properly. After later serving as a flag aide for the Director of Surface Warfare at the Pentagon - managing the Admiral's schedule, supervising the staff of 150 personnel and helping submit the Surface Warfare's budget - I was selected for the Navy's Legal Education Program to become a judge advocate. I am currently attending law school at Penn State University. I really believe that the key to my success was the flexibility that I learned while taking the variety of courses offered in the history department, as well as the speed and tempo at which we learned with the quarter system.

When I enrolled at Drexel, I could not have imagined that I would graduate with plans to pursue a PhD in history. In high school, I always thought that history class was only about memorizing names and dates in order to pass exams. During my time in college, however, my ideas about the study of history have completely changed. I've learned how historical perspectives can help us to better understand not only our past, but our present and future as well.

As a history major, I've studied topics as varied as ancient empires, climate change, medical technologies and urban inequality, and I have come to view history as an active force that shapes our identities and the world in which we live. I have decided to continue my historical training because I now see historians as scholars equipped with the tools to engage with today's most pressing issues. I entered Drexel with just a passion for history. During my time here, I have learned how to turn that passion into a career.