Daemen College : Admissions : Meet our Students : Eric - History and Government

Eric - History and Government

Why did you choose Daemen?

I decided to choose Daemen as my college of choice because the campus offered all the resources I needed to make my college experience as productive and rewarding as possible, including the small class sizes. Throughout high school, I have been accustomed to learning with a small group of students and teacher who know me by my first name overtime. In most of my classes at Daemen, I probably never had a class with more than 23 students and all the professors knew my name by the end of the semester. Moreover, I take every advantage of getting help from my teachers when I needed to by receiving that one-on-one attention which is what Daemen has greatly offered for me over the past 3 1/2 years. In addition to coming in for office hours, the Learning Center has also provided the services I needed to improve.

Why did you choose History and Government as a major?

I chose History and Government because I have always been very interested in learning about the past because the events in our world's past has made a tremendous influence on the present world we are living in today. In addition, I have excelled in my history classes back in high school so I decided to further study and pursue this subject as a career. Now, I am currently working at the Smithsonian Museum of American History working on a photographic collection and learning more about DC's past.

How has your academic experience at Daemen benefitted you?

My academic experience at Daemen has been helpful because the campus provides to the student enough opportunities to get help by either going to the teacher's office hours or going to the Learning Center. However, if office hours do not match up with your schedule, you can match your schedule with a tutor who can provide help depending on the class.

What impact have the Daemen faculty, advisors, and staff had on you?

The History and Government faculty and my advisor, Prof. Walsh, have been a great help to me in my classes and my career plans. With respect to my career plans in public history, they have informed me more about their understanding of the profession and provided me with internship opportunities that relate to my interests. Most importantly, it is important for any future students in the H&G program to take a little time to talk with the faculty about your future career plans because they can offer you their input on what education (masters, doctorate programs) and occupations that exist so that one can set long-term career goals.

Did you have any internship, or service learning experiences?

One internship that has been beneficial to my future career in public history was my internship experience at the YWCA of WNY on Buffalo's West Side in the Spring 2010 semester. I wanted to pursue one area of public history which is archival work. At the YWCA, I had the opportunity to sort and re-house the organization's archives that have been stored in an old auditorium for a considerable number of years. During the semester, I sorted through a variety of archival material including books, magazines, negatives and slides that have captured events over the organization's 140- year history in Buffalo. Next, I recorded all the materials onto an Excel spreadsheet and stored everything in a storage room. The most important part of the internship is learning more about this organization's history because I enjoy learning about what occurred in the past, no matter what place it may be.

What do you like best about Daemen College?

The most beneficial resource Daemen has offered me was a rewarding college experience that has prepared me for the changing present world by helping me develop and/or enhance skills to best help me succeed once I graduate and continue to pursue a career in history.

What are your plans after graduation?

My plans after graduation are to continue my work experience in museums by applying for part-time and full-time positions at area museums around Buffalo and in Washington D.C. I do not plan on applying to graduate schools this coming fall right away until I decide on a particular concentration. Certain concentrations I am considering are Library Science, Archives and Records Management, and Collections Management. Once I decide a particular concentration, I will apply to schools that offer master degree programs suited for that field.