Remarks - Department of History, UC Berkeley

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4 i. Saya Wallace writes, “Some of my favorite moments were sharing coffee and tales of research struggle with my fellow thesis writers as we discussed our progress, (or lack thereof) throughout our final semester. Not only was it interesting to hear the diversity in research topics, but it was equally comforting to hear that we were all facing the same challenges. The 101 thesis process put on display for me the profound respect shared by students and professors alike.” ii. Tiana Yarbrough writes, “When I finished my Senior Thesis, I had so many library books to return that I used two duffle bags to carry them all! I don't think people understand the amount of time we History Majors spend buried beneath the books!” e. But when it comes to research travel, huge projects, and being buried beneath books, our graduate students win pride of place! There is NOTHING quite like earning a PhD: i. So for instance, Faiz Ahmed conducted research for his dissertation in Turkey, India, and Afghanistan. I can only imagine how difficult the last of those was. ii. Matthew Sargent writes, “While a PhD student at Berkeley - I took classes in 13 departments, learned 4 languages, and traveled to 3 continents for my research. Along the way, I walked across England, got married in Rome, repaired a car in a medieval street in France, ate street food in Indonesia, and had a daughter. I regret not having the time to learn to scuba dive.” 6. So that’s what you’ve been doing here! Third and finally, what are you doing next? a. Well, let me start with the graduate students. i. Of course, not all of you have managed to find you dream jobs this year. But a remarkable number have, and that should give confidence to all of you that your futures look bright. ii. You have so far landed academic positions at Brown University, the American University in Paris, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Connecticut, Baruch College, Meiji Gakuin University in Japan, and many others. iii. You have landed postdoctoral fellowships in England, in Sweden, in Germany, in Spain, in New York, in Hawaii, and even right here in Berkeley, where a couple of you will be teaching the next generation of our undergraduates. b. And speaking of you wonderful undergraduates: some of you turn out to be gluttons for punishment and for some crazy reason you’re headed back to school in the Fall! i. Your graduate school plans include not only several History PhD programs and a whole gaggle of Law Schools, but also PhDs in Political Science, Masters in Classical Archaeology, Masters in
5 Criminology, Masters in Public Health, Masters in Education, and Masters in Library Science. c. Many of you have already lined up employment and will be moving in a few weeks to that weird place called the Real World (I’ve never been there myself, but I hear it’s very exciting!). i. I can’t name all of your many jobs, but just a list a few: you will be teaching English in Japan, you will be Management Consultants, you will be Marketing Researchers, you will be competitive dancers, you will write Science Fiction, you will Teach for America, you will produce television shows, you will work at Disneyland, and you will work at the State Capitol in Sacramento—those last two, by the way, are two different jobs! d. Many others of you, however, report that you need to take a deep breath and rest a little bit before thinking about what comes next. And to you, I offer the comments of a graduate named Cameron Holmes. When asked to describe his plans for next year, Cameron played the part of a good historian and quoted his sources, writing, “In the wise words of Otto von Bismarck, "Man cannot control the current of events. He can only float with them and steer." 7. So in sum, I say to you, the extraordinary Class of 2013, you should be proud of everything you have done at Berkeley, as proud as we are of you. You mean everything to us, and even after you leave today, you will forever be a part of our community. a. Berkeley matters because we share it. Thank you for trusting us, thank you for sharing these years of your life with us. And never forget, wherever you are, Berkeley will always be with you. Let me now introduce our Undergraduate Speaker Madeline Des Jardins is an eighteenth century French and American historian and an avid Bonapartist. She is the current president of Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honor Society, and has worked for Cal Performances as their Student Ambassadors for the Arts Program Coordinator for two years. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and recently received High Honors on her thesis in the History Department. She has also served as president of Berkeley’s unofficial nerd club, BookWorlds, and has been on the DeCal Board. She has taught three DeCals (student led, accredited courses), most recently Star Trek: Where No Course Has Gone Before. Madeline will be working at Disneyland in the fall, hoping to take a little time away from academia to earn her ‘Mousters’ and her ‘Ducktorate’ with the Walt Disney Corporation, and possibly go on to work in film production. Let me now introduce our Graduate Speaker
Page 1 and 2: Graduation Speech 2013-Ethan Shagan
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Remarks - Department of History, UC Berkeley

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