I wanted to write my first post of my blog of my experiences as a graduate because, in spite of the fact that I am going into history, there is still some part of me that enjoys adding significance to events and establishing a poetic layout in the cyclical patterns of life. Today, I graduated from the University of New Mexico, marking my completion of a Bachelor of Arts in History and English with a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies. Four years ago, on this exact same day, I graduated Cibola High School and intended to attend UNM to study creative writing. This position of dates, while wonderfully poetic and well-placed, also allows for greater inspection of the last four years and will hopefully provide insight for the next two as I begin my journey as a Master's student. This blog is specifically designed to catalogue my experiences as an MA student in the History Department, in part to document specific milestones and maybe offer pieces of advice for those in similar situations or who will be soon and to also allow myself to reflect on what I'm learning a bit more and to record the most important aspects of it so that I can one day look back and remember the significance of those lessons.
In the History Department graduation today, the commencement speaker began her speech by asking us, and herself, "Why History?" Why do we choose to study history? Her response to this question particularly resonated with me and seemed to confirm my own place in the discipline. We study history because we are irrevocably drawn to it, because we understand the present and all moments in time to be a combination of a million different moments that lead to this specific event. It is poetic and beautiful and fascinating, and as historians, we are called to find these moments, analyze them, and interpret them to share with the rest of the world and to better understand the present we live in today. Everything currently being experienced is a result of a dozen moments or trends that lead to a specific point. Even my graduation today was the result of a specific set of occurrences, which makes the timeline all the more appealing in its relation to my high school graduation as well.
Had I not been accepted to UNM and accepted the Presidential Scholarship, I would have not attended the school that is now my alma mater. Had I never received credit for my AP World History, but not AP US History course in high school, I would have never registered for the U.S. history survey course with Dr. Sandoval-Strausz, who opened my eyes and my mind to the possibilities of history, the ways that small events can link up to a specific outcome, and the passion that I would later cultivate for the field. Had the registrar at UNM never made a mistake on the scheduling for a history course in my spring semester of junior year, I would have never registered for Games for Change with Dr. Chris Holden, which has subsequently resulted in a new path that I am now following that combines history and video games for educational purposes. Had every small, but significant, moment, not occurred, I may have not graduated today with a degree in History and English with a minor in Interdisciplinary Arts or had the opportunity and chance to excel in my work and become the aspiring historian and educator that I am today.
Other life-changing events have occurred as a result of seemingly small decisions and wonderfully cyclical events. Had I never gone to UNM, I would have never become closer to the man who is now my fiance and will eventually become my husband in about a year. The sheer thought that my life could have been completely different based on the decision of where to earn my undergraduate degree is both exciting and a little bit scary, and I honestly couldn't be happier with my decision or with the way my life has turned out thus far. My first day and first class at UNM was spent with my fiance, Antonio Sanchez; we were just friends then, and had carpooled to attend the 8 AM statistics course. My last day and last class at UNM as an undergraduate was also with Antonio, marking another oddly poetic and symmetrical moment that I can't help but appreciate.
These past few weeks have been rather crazy, and this semester is definitely one for the books. That being said, I couldn't be happier with my accomplishments or current state of life and am extremely humbled and grateful for all that I have at this moment. I truly consider myself lucky to have gotten to this moment; the decisions I have made and the events that have influenced my life have all led to this specific point in time, and that, in itself, is remarkable. I hope everyone else is feeling the same as I am as they graduate, albeit perhaps a bit bittersweet. Either way, I'm excited to see what these next little moments will lead to and how the past will influence our future.
