Networking and The Humanities

By: Parker Gaudet

On Nov. 5, an event was held in the Crystal Room for all political science, history and English majors. Alumni gathered to reminisce on their days at USJ, reconnect with one another and give advice to undergraduate and graduate students currently in their former majors. 

As a senior history major and part of the Department of Education at USJ, I found this event to be extremely helpful. Even when I spoke with alumni outside of my major, their perspectives on the job industry and the different paths they had taken were both entertaining and informative. Honestly, I was not planning to stay for the entirety of the event, but I found myself talking to more and more people and, in the end, stayed at the gathering even past close. 

Naturally, there were many alumni who had gone on to become teachers, and these individuals in particular were the most helpful to me. I am currently student teaching, and one teacher even shared all of her content with me. They were all very helpful in understanding what the teaching field is truly like. Their perspectives were especially valuable because they came from a wide variety of teaching experiences. From working at a small, Catholic school to a large public elementary school, there were many different takes on the profession and lots of useful tips. It was great to hear encouragement for teaching from individuals outside of professors who are required to promote the profession. 

While my lens on the event was particularly focused on learning from current teachers, it was also a blast to hear from everyone else, and the energy in the room was electric. Everywhere I looked, people were connecting, laughing and sharing stories. It was so loud I often had to ask whoever I was speaking with to repeat themselves. Although the event began with a bit of nervous energy, everyone—alumni and current students included—seemed to loosen up as time went on. Additionally, it was a great opportunity for current students in the history, political science and English majors to get to know one another. While most students in these majors are at least aware of one another, I believe this event helped bring current students together and laid the foundation for a stronger sense of community.