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Beth Temple-Council, 2019 recipient of the UTC History Department Scholarship for excellent performance in history courses, on why she chose to major in history.
Choosing a history major for my second degree at UTC was a “no-brainer.” I had already taken several classes with my first degree, which was in anthropology with an emphasis on historical archaeology, and while over the years I moved away from working as an archaeologist, I never lost my fascination with history. I decided I wanted more than just reading history on my own so I returned to UTC to pursue a history degree. Much has changed since I got my first degree, not least of which is the number of women on the history faculty (there was one my first time around). It has been inspirational to me to learn from these female academics. It is also exciting to feel part of the History Department community, a welcome extended by each member of the faculty through programs such as the Lunch and Learn series which encourages student involvement with the department.
In the Spring semester of 2019, I was honored to receive the History Department Scholarship. The recognition of my hard work was both exciting and humbling and was a little extra encouragement to continue on the path I have chosen. For this, I am extremely grateful.
