Stories

Max Silveira

pronouns: he/him

I am a transfer student double majoring in History and Political Science with a minor in Arab, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. Transferring to the top school that I wanted to attend was both an exciting and frightening time. But I soon found a home here at Santa Clara and it was through the History Department that I was able to excel at what I feel I do best. Whether it was the wise and thoughtful professors within the department or the school's helpful resources and assistance, I never felt like I was being left behind or undervalued. I was able to write a final essay that I am immensely proud of and leave behind an academic record that I can both reflect on and use as a jumping off point for my future career as I go on to graduate school.

Rosie Huang

pronouns: she/her

Joining the Santa Clara History program has been one of the best decisions I've made as an adult. Through classes like U.S. Women's History, the Haitian Revolution, and Race and Gender in the Atlantic, the history department has challenged me to think more critically about the world. History is not just the memorization of chronological events, but the act of connecting, comparing, and analyzing the past to establish causality. Learning history has been instrumental to my development as a student, as well as my development as a person. Thank you SCU history department for helping me find my passion.

Payton Stewart

pronouns: he/him

I came to Santa Clara as a declared history major and I've never thought about it twice. Now that I'm graduating, it's bittersweet. After Santa Clara, I'm looking to pursue intellectual property law or estate planning. I also enjoy creating art; some of which is currently displayed in the Dowd Art and Art History Building. I served as History Club President and Editor of Historical Perspectives, and I'm excited to see where the next chapter of my life takes me. If I could tell students considering history anything, I would tell them history is not only interesting but SCU has a great program!

Patrick Gammon

pronouns: he/him

I am a History major and a Theatre Arts minor. My involvement with the History Department has been one of the most positive experiences at SCU. The courses I have taken have been mainly focused on the effects that colonialism/imperialism has had on the world, through most of the modern history courses and both of Dr. Andrew's seminars. They have been the most fulfilling educational experiences of my life and the level of engagement that the History Department brings out in all its courses has been an amazing experience. After switching from Computer Science major to History, I have found a level of fulfillment from my courses that I couldn't have ever imagined. Outside of the department, I have been involved heavily in the theater community at SCU and youth theater in the Bay Area. This summer I directed the South Bay premiere of Mean Girls Jr. at West Valley Youth Theater. This year at SCU I was a director for the Fall One Act Festival and Co-Director/performer for the Anima Collective. In the future, I am looking into teaching History at a high school level while continuing my involvement in theater.