What's Happening With Public History Students
Mingling with movers and shakers in Public History / by Kaira Simmons
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Star struck at a history conference? Yes, in the field of Public History, it is possible.
It is not commonplace that an undergraduate history student has the opportunity to network with the authors of her textbooks, the corporate historian for one of the largest banks in United States, and the individuals who influenced her instructors when they were students.
In 2009, I got that opportunity when I attended annual meetings for the National Council on Public History (NCPH) as a project presenter and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) as a student volunteer.
Both experiences afforded me history star-mingling opportunities and beyond. At AASLH and NCPH, I met the movers and shakers of Public History, attended lectures and sessions and worked side-by-side with some of the primary staff of AASLH headquarters.
During the NCPH meeting, I was a poster presenter for "Discover Landmark Covington," a project from our Intro to Public History class at NKU. While presenting our work to noteworthy individuals in the field, I became truly aware of how relevant the work of an NKU Public History student is in relation to the real-world discipline.
At sessions and lectures, I continually related assignments and service-learning projects from classes I had taken to the speaker's presentation. Knowing first-hand that my completed coursework is so relevant and cutting edge has reinforced my excitement for the field and has made me even more grateful for the invaluable hands-on Public History experience offered to NKU students.
Taking these Public History courses along with attending the NCPH and AASLH conferences has granted me early access to the tools needed to hopefully someday carve out my own star-shaped niche in the expanding and diverse Public History universe.