Welcome to History Forward!
Why do students chose to study Historical Studies programs? What courses and opportunities did they find most engaging? What career paths has their program led to? Tune in to History Forward to hear the journeys of faculty, staff, alumni, and students from the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Current episodes feature alumni who have pursued diverse career paths in fields like student services, communications, teaching, and research.
Listen as alumni walk you through their journeys, from igniting their passion in first year courses to how their studies in Historical Studies helped shape their careers. Gain practical advice on making the most of your undergraduate experience, from networking with faculty to getting involved in experiential learning opportunities like research, internships, and study abroad courses.
We would like to recognize and thank Rachel Kulick for starting this podcast. Rachel is currently the Academic Change Specialist in the Office of the Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean at UTM and concurrently consults as an independent geoarchaeologist on archaeological projects.
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Nico Mara-McKay is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded PhD student at UofT in History, with a specialization in Sexual Diversity Studies (MA in History, U.Guelph; BA in History & Art History, UofT). Their research focuses on nonnormative gender expressions in late medieval western Europe.
In their time at UTM, Nico did the Research Opportunity Program with Dr Evonne Levy that taught them how to do archival and library research. They also did a research internship at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives and an Independent Reading Course supervised by Dr. Mairi Cowan that influences their PhD research now.
Tune in to hear more about Nico’s favourite Historical Studies courses and their journey and their passion for history. You can learn more about Nico on their website at https://www.nicomaramckay.com/.
Caitlyn Giles Bonekamp graduated from UTM in 2020 with a minor in History and specialist in Management (BBA). She is now in the Master of Management and Professional Accounting (MMPA) program at UTM, and is working at Ernst & Young for her co-op terms.
In her first year, Caitlyn took a UTMOne Scholars course that inspired her to minor in History. She found that it complimented her Management Specialist well, because the research and critical thinking skills in History helped to improve her analytical skills in Management.
Tune in to hear more about how Caitlyn chose her Master’s program and how her minor in History differentiated her from other candidates during her interview with Ernst & Young, as well as her advice for students who are considering taking a Historical Studies program.
Natalie Samuels graduated from UTM in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology (major) and a double-minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Political Science. Currently, she is a legal assistant at Levien Law. Natalie is also preparing for the LSAT and planning on applying to law school in the next few years.
Through her Latin American and Caribbean Studies minor, Natalie’s passion for history grew, and she found that the skills she learned were able to translate to the study and practise of law. She explains that contrary to stereotypes, the study of history is in fact greatly applicable to practical fields of work.
Tune it to hear about the professors that had an important impact on Natalie and how she networked after to find her current position as a legal assistant, as well as her advice for students considering a Historical Studies program.
Monica Gill graduated from UTM in 2017 with an HBA degree, majoring in Biology for Health Sciences, minoring in Women and Gender Studies & Political Science. After graduation, she volunteered with Bethell Hospice in Caledon and worked with Massachusetts General Hospital, publishing in the British Journal of Anaesthesia on the reversal of fentanyl’s side effects. In 2021, Monica began law school at UofT to earn her JD.
Monica wanted to link what she learned in Biology to how people experience health in their day to day lives, which is why she decided to minor in Women and Gender Studies and Political Science. Her experience in the Research Opportunity Program improved her research and writing skills, and she even got to do a small group practicum assignment where she worked with the Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Centre in downtown Toronto.
When she began volunteering after graduation, she met aspiring lawyers that inspired her to take a similar path.Tune in to hear more about Monica’s journey and what advice she gives to people who are studying for the LSAT and applying to law school, as well her advice for all UTM students on navigating their university journey.
Sukarmina Singh Shankar is a 2019 Honours BSc graduate with distinction (Specialization: Forensic Anthropology / Minor: South Asian Civilizations). Currently, she is a Research Assistant under the supervision of Dr. V. Kumar Murty (Mathematics, U. of Toronto), and is working on the “Scalable Architecture for Smart Villages” project.
While at UTM, she was involved in outreach and volunteer opportunities, and was President of the Forensics Society. As part of her minor, she completed an Independent Reading Course supervised by Dr Ajay Rao, in which she got the chance to travel to New Delhi to do research! Another course that helped to shape Sukarmina’s journey was RLG207: Introduction to Sikhism, where she had a pleasant learning experience and was deeply invested in the course material.
Tune in to hear more about Sukarmina’s experiences and how she got to her research role today, her advice for current students, and what she had learned about the power of connection and community.
Dimitri Thompson completed his HBA from UTM in 2019. At UTM he double majored in Communications, Culture and Information Technology (CCIT) and History of Religions. Currently he is working at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Arts and Science as the Undergraduate Coordinator for Human Biology. He is also working towards his Master of Education degree at OISE with a specialization in Higher Education: Student Development and Student Services.
In his first year, Dimitri took the course RLG101 with Professor Ken Derry, which grew his interest in the History of Religions. Dimitri enjoyed practising humanities research methods when he did an Independent Reading Course, and he learned the value of experiential learning when he traveled to Korea as part of a History of Religions course on Religion and Death.
Tune in to hear more about Dimitri’s journey and how his work position at UTM Residence, as well as his course experiences and networking, led him to his position as an undergraduate coordinator!
Hammad Junejo completed his HBA at UTM (2019) with a specialist in History and a minor in Classical Civilization. Previously, he interned at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, and published a book: The Last War That Had To be Fought (on Amazon.ca). He is currently teaching history at high school level.
In High School, Hammad’s interest in World War II led him to want to study history at university, but his historical interests extended to Classics through trying out courses about diverse historical themes and periods. In his time at UTM, Hammad was involved in multiple experiential learning opportunities within the department. Other than his internship, he was also a research assistant for Professor Boris Chrubasick in a project on the Hellenistic age.
Tune in to hear more about Hammad’s experiences as an international student, how he published a book in 2019, and how he networked on LinkedIn to eventually land his position as a history teacher!
Angelia Meffe completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2019 with a specialization in Digital Enterprise Management and a minor in Classical Civilization She is currently a Social Media Officer in the Office of Communications at UTM.
Her love for classics began at a young age; she still remembers the first book she ever borrowed from the library in elementary school - a classical studies book! Today, Angelia hosts the Amused Angel Reading blog where she reviews Classics-related books. The blog can be found at this link: https://www.amusedangelreading.com. You can also find her on Instagram @amusedangelreading.
Tune in to hear about how first year Classical Civilization course CLA101 led Angelia to discover her passion for social media, her tips for first year students, and how she networked in the UTM community to reach her job role in the Office of Communications!
Rebecca Tunney completed an Honours Bachelor of Science degree at UTM in 2019, majoring in Science (Anthropology) and minoring in Arts (Anthropology and Classical Civilization). In 2021, she graduated with a Master of Museum Studies degree from UofT’s Faculty of Information. During that time she interned with the Aga Khan Museum and the Museums of Mississauga. She is currently an Information and Loans Technician at the UTM Library.
Due to her love for the Percy Jackson series, Rebecca decided to take a couple of Classical Civilization courses in her first year to fulfil her distribution requirements. This eventually led her to pursue a Classical Civilization minor! She highlights the support of Classical Civilization Professor Carrie Atkins and History of Religions Professor Sarah Richardson as being crucial in her journey of choosing to pursue Museum Studies.
Tune in to hear more about Rebecca’s favourite aspects of the Classical Civilization program, her position in the UTM Library, and her tips for first year students wanting to pursue a Historical Studies program!