From a young age I was always interested in stories about the past and throughout high school I became fascinated by world history. I had no idea what career options a degree in history would bring but knew that the more history classes I took, the more interested I became. So I decided that I should do something that I was truly interested in, not something that I thought I may enjoy and hope it worked out for me. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree with a major in History and a minor in Political Science in 2001 and I considered law school, going into politics, journalism, and even jobs in public relations. I knew that history graduates are well-known to have strong communication, research, and analytical skills which are ideal skills needed for any communication-based careers so I considered a wide range of career paths. But I felt I wanted to share my passion for history with others so decided to go into education and become a history teacher. I have been teaching history in the Burnaby School District since 2003 and am just as passionate about it today as I was when I was a student. History is the story of all of us and shapes how we see ourselves and the world around us. I am working on bringing more of my students to SFU History’s department as part of their outreach program to highlight the importance and need for students to continue studying history when they graduate high school. As I say to my students, “History Rocks!”

“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” 
― Winston S. Churchill