Queens group with Professor Sian Nicholas outside of Gregynog in Wales.

Queens students and professors recently reached across the pond to their Welsh counterparts, and together, they built an interactive map charting the experience of Welsh soldiers in World War I. Students in history and political science, led by Dr. Barry Robinson and Dr. Margaret Commins, collaborated with Dr. Sian Nicholas and students from Aberystwyth University in Wales.

To compose the interactive map, students from both universities first gathered information on the soldiers. Then, they plotted on the map the following vital information: birth and death dates, where the soldiers were from, and where they served in the war, which ranged all over the world.

The map was the culmination of a JBIP course and Study Abroad in Aberystwyth, Wales. Their work stands as a testament to Queens students’ and faculty’s ability to persevere and follow through, even in a pandemic.

First, students completed a preparatory course, which included background information on the war, Welsh culture, and the context of the war in both Europe and Wales. The course was an initiative to prepare students for their work abroad and research on Wales and the past. They explored the effects of colonialism on Wales, as well as more modern studies such as women’s history throughout the early 20th century, and the effect of industry on Welsh culture.

To better prepare them for the names and artifacts they would encounter, students also completed a language course in Welsh online. They even had a lesson on how to pronounce “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll llantysiliogogogoch,” a village in Anglesey, Wales. They enjoyed other educational tools throughout class that would help them be better prepared for encountering longer, more unfamiliar names in Welsh. Dr. Commins noted that it was interesting to see that many Welsh names ended in an ‘s’ and came back to tell then-President Dr. Pamela Davies that she perhaps had Welsh heritage.

The collaboration between Dr. Nicholas and Dr. Robinson and their respective universities began when a grant was received from the Welsh National Heritage lottery. According to Dr. Robinson, the purpose of the grant was “to develop a community-based public history effort to understand the local experience of World War I in and around Aberystwyth.” Students worked together across both departments–sometimes in groups–to more easily compare and contrast information in their archival research.

The project itself, while rooted in the past, also allowed for current perspectives. Students were able to study Wales’ current climate in respect to the war. They visited historic sites, such as castles and libraries, to gather information on both current and past Welsh culture. Dr. Commins added that they often took excursions outside of the traditional project plans and enjoyed learning and experiencing Welsh culture.

Now-alumnus Sydney Memminger said that the international collaboration helped her bring skills back to the classroom: “I can definitely say that I learned to actively listen. When hearing another’s perspective, taking notes or recording is very helpful for history collaborations.”

Then-senior Brianna Paglia added that such a big research project was only made possible by collaboration between groups. She also said that it has helped her, post-graduation, to develop her research skills and added, “Ultimately it also helped build a bigger stepping stone off my undergrad foundation for researching and writing a robust masters thesis.” The project required a lot of research, plus information outlining and gathering, so it’s no wonder that the amount of work put in by students paid off immensely for their post-graduation plans.

Dr. Robinson said that the importance of the project goes beyond just the Wales community, as it aims to mark the influence of the world on Wales and the war. He noted that the collaboration between students also allowed students to gain different perspectives on what they were already learning. For instance, the archival research gave students an access to historical materials they could include in the database. Dr. Commins said that in her opinion it could have been the most impactful for students, “…getting to touch the artifacts, the coins. The town would send cigarette boxes to the soldiers… it was just really cool.” 

If CAS Success blog readers/viewers want to access and navigate this engaging interactive map, they may do so here. Enjoy. Each red touchpoint on the map indicates a person and place relevant to the war and their outcome. Some include pictures and “artifacts” of the person’s life/ the place’s significance.

This interactive map, and the role of Queens students and faculty in fashioning it, have brought the past into the present.

Izzy Harvey

Amidst other hardships this year, the Black Lives Matter movement has gained national attention after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In the reactions to their deaths and subsequent protests, division has reigned supreme in our already divided country.

Yet, we have also found moments to come together, uniting over our common beliefs and empathy. We at Queens have done the same, by coming together to create a stunning piece of public art, the Black Lives Matter mural. This summer, Professor Mike Wirth of the Art, Design, and Music department and Queens alumna Bree Stallings (’13) helped design and paint the mural on Tryon Street.

Since the mural’s completion, Queens faculty, staff, and students have visited. It’s easy to do so. That’s because Tryon Street between Third and Fourth Streets is blocked off, encouraging people to walk among the letters.

Wirth and Stallings, along with a host of Charlotte artists, painted each letter in an array of bold and inspiring colors and designs. When Professor Wirth was contacted by a fellow Charlotte artist, he enthusiastically agreed to help with the mural, inspired to help the movement. Wirth said: “Justice interested me in the project. It’s important to do this now, because we’ve never really spoken this way, together as a community. In fact, the message is way long overdue.” He saw it as an opportunity to work within the community to promote empathy. Together, he and a few other local artists got to work, organizing and delegating the work on the mural.

According to Wirth, “The core team (organizers, key assistants, myself, Bree, Haley, and others) arrived a 5:30 am to pick up over 80 gallons of street surface paint and set up the street for the artists to arrive later that morning. We also worked with another local artist friend and keeper of the laser cutting fab lab at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to cut the street-sized letter stencils. We laid out each one and chalked in the letter template so that artists could arrive and begin to paint immediately. Later, [we] all assisted individual artists and also floated between the murals. We also made sure that artists were fed and hydrated throughout the day. We wanted to remove any obstacle that artists may have to complete their work in the designated day.”

The result of all this hard work and preparation was an amazing show of unity and camaraderie. Both artists and the Charlotteans walking by felt this unity. “We definitely solidified existing relationships and forged new relationships during the workday. Morale was high, and it seemed like we were onto something big. Since that date, other projects have happened to keep the momentum going,” Wirth said. “The press and the public were incredibly supportive and were curious who we all were. As the day went on, local businesses started to show up with food, drinks, snacks, tents, paint supplies, and plenty of goodwill. Soon, other people were helping to paint. It was really magical.”

This magic was built by community members uniting in the common goals of empathy and justice. There was a call for all these artists to come together in a time when our country is more fractured than ever before. In valiantly answering this call, Queens’ artists have put into practice our motto of not to be served, but to serve.

Their work, the Black Lives Matter mural on the main street of Charlotte, was not only a powerful piece of art that promoted what millions of people are fighting for, but also proof that there is more that binds us than separates us.

And in this day and age, that’s a message that’s just as important as the cause they’ve united around.

#Black Lives Matter

by Nia Murat

Every four years, Americans reach the pinnacle of their political participation by casting their votes in the presidential election. Sadly, such high stakes are met with significant apathy by too many American citizens. As this year’s Civic Engagement Fellow, Emily Sears, senior Political Science major and History and Interfaith Studies double-minor, works to prevent such apathy.

A global pandemic has not been able to stop the urgent work that Sears does. In fact, she’s found creative solutions to continue her efforts by engaging students and the broader Charlotte community in the political process, even if she cannot physically be on campus. 

Sears recognizes that 2020 is a critical year for her. She’s the Civic Engagement Fellow in both her senior year and a presidential election year. The Civic Engagement Fellow position began in 2016 with a broad focus on civic engagement, ranging from voter registration to taking student voters to the polls. Sears’ work centers around “ensur[ing] that people are registered to vote and that they follow through with that registration to cast their ballots,” she says. Beyond voter registration, Sears wants to “emphasize voter education, particularly when it comes to what services the local and state offices provide and how our vote truly matters,” and she has made it her “mission to put on a plethora of events that would operate outside of the normal civic engagement efforts to actually get people talking.”

Sears identifies the Civic Engagement Fellowship as “the most important position I would have during my time at Queens.” In her role, she has been able to enact her “mantra of ‘people over party’” to support her classmates and community members in becoming active and informed participants in their community and democratic processes. An essential lesson that Sears has learned “is that we all have individual agency that can be combined to make a force for change. I sometimes get into the weeds of planning events or social media campaigns, and I forget why I am doing this work. Then, I look at the news, speak to a student, or converse with a professor, and I realize that there is no job more important than the one I am in right now.”

Leading up to the semester, Sears worked with her supervisor Jenn Marts, the Director of the Wells Fargo Center for Community Engagement, to develop a webinar series with the intent “to educate voters on the offices and issues that are at stake in this election, and most other elections as well.” With the help of many Queens professors as keynote speakers in the webinars, “four topics including absentee ballots, the electoral college/why does my vote matter, the vital role and job description of state and local offices, and foreign policy” have already been covered. Sears maintains that although these topics cannot be wholly examined in a thirty-minute session, they are “a crucial step in making sure that voters can confidently cast their ballots because they have received expert and non-partisan knowledge from Queens and UNCC educators.” The webinars, occurring every Tuesday at noon and lasting for thirty minutes, can be signed up for through a link in the @qu_votes Instagram bio. A “Why I Vote” series is also featured on the Instagram account, which includes the perspectives of current students and alumni. 

Sears’ duties as the Civic Engagement Fellow require her to be a critical thinker, moderator, event planner, fact checker, and then some, which she knows will serve her well in the future as she pursues graduate school and a career in national security. Events like Engage Her and the Lunch and Learn Series have allowed her to practice public speaking and the aforementioned skills. She appreciates how the Wells Fargo Center for Community Engagement has made “all of the work we are doing possible.” Additionally, she expresses gratitude for her professors as they “have also been highly supportive of our work and have continually showed up for events, promoted our work in their classrooms, and some have even participated in our Lunch and Learn series.”

Along with civic engagement, Political Science Professor Dr. Commins finds that the Civic Engagement Fellow works to advance civic knowledge, civic skills, and civic identity in their communities. Dr. Commins wants “for Queens students to see themselves as important members of the community that have not only a right to participate but a responsibility to participate actively.” The Civic Engagement Fellow is a fundamental player in executing the university’s civic mission.  She has identified Sears as someone who “has thought broadly about what it means to be civically engaged.”

Dr. Commins explains how the Engage Her webinar “provid[ed] as service for the community,” demonstrating that “we have something to contribute to helping make Charlotte a better place.” The creation of the Wells Fargo Center for Community  Engagement has made the civic mission of Queens a lasting one, and Dr. Commins appreciates how Dr. Fatherly and President Lugo have supported the work of civic engagement. Additionally, Dr. Commins speaks to the involvement of the College of Arts and Sciences, particularly the Political Science Department: “We’re very invested in supporting the work of the Civic Engagement Fellow and supporting the work of the Wells Fargo Center.”

Given the high stakes of our current political moment, Sears, as a responsible citizen and the Civic Engagement Fellow, challenges her peers to take action: “How much longer will it take before the young people realize how much power we have to influence the makeup of our government and let our elected officials know what we want for our future? The time to be apathetic and passive has been gone for a while. It is time now to take a stand, become informed, and go vote.”

Emily Iknayan

Welcome back to Queens! As we start our new year virtually, we appreciate the university’s priority in keeping our community safe and healthy. When we went online last spring, our blog writers shared what they’ll miss, what they’re grateful for, and what they’re looking forward to. For this blog, we asked them again to share their thoughts. We wanted to see what had changed and what hadn’t.
Undaunted by the new virtual world, our faculty and students have continued their fine work. Join us this year, as we continue to highlight those successes.

from Emily Iknayan.

What I’ve missed about Queens. The thing I’ve missed most about Queens is physically being in classrooms with my professors and peers. I disdain the potential for unstable WiFi connections kicking me out of my synchronous online courses, but I’ve been struck by how we’ve managed to build community online within this first two weeks, whether this means seeing an array of pets on RingCentral meetings or introducing people to different features on RingCentral.

What I’m grateful for. I’m grateful that I attend a university that has taken the global pandemic seriously. I empathize with students across the country who have had their semesters upended by the inevitable shift to online learning, so I’m glad Queens made the decision to be online. I admire the resilience that the students and professors have displayed, and I am appreciative that we can continue our degree progress in the safest way possible.

What I looking forward to my senior year. This semester, I’m looking forward to taking on junior year and all of the work associated with it. I’m excited to begin my work as a Senior Tutor for the Center for Student Success. And I intend to designate at least 30 minutes of my time to reading that is not required, so I hope I’m up for the challenge!

From Nia Murat.

What I’ve missed about Queens. Nia here! I’m excited to be back with the CAS blog and working remotely. One thing I miss most about Queens is the sense of community we have seeing each other on campus everyday. As much as I enjoy doing homework while petting my dog, Winston Furchill, I miss the classroom conversations, poking my head in during office hours to say hi, and the random encounters on campus. Even so, I am very grateful that I’m able to continue my degree safely and have all the tools to do so.

What I’m grateful for. I am also grateful that Queens prioritized the safety of their staff, students, and faculty in making the difficult decision to go online. I am also grateful that our professors were all able to adapt their teaching style and course work to the online setting so quickly and efficiently. As challenging as this process has been on the Queens community, all of us have been able to adapt and overcome all of the hardships put before us.

What I’m looking forward to my senior year. As a senior, I’m looking forward to savoring every last moment I have at Queens. This fall I’m once again submitting an abstract to be considered for SAMLA, a language and literature conference, encouraged by Professor Hull and Shishko in the English department. I’m very excited at the prospect of preparing and sharing a paper once again. Fingers crossed my proposal is accepted!

from Izzy Harvey.

What I’ve missed about Queens.  Queens is known for its beautiful campus that makes being outside in the heat so much more pleasant. When walking across the red brick paths and beside fresh mowed grass that never looks unkempt, I would see people out and about on the quad. When walking to class, I would always see familiar faces, and it made living in a small dorm and eating cafeteria food that much more rewarding. There was something about seeing a professor getting coffee or eating lunch and stopping to have a conversation with them.

What I’m grateful for. At the start of this pandemic I was scared. Coming from a middle class family that doesn’t have health insurance security, I was worried that with my increased risk, I would have to leave Queens and finish college from home or transfer. When we moved online in the spring, my fears relaxed a little, but there was still worry in my mind that Fall semester would resume, and I wouldn’t be ready. I’m grateful for the opportunity to stay safe while still staying “in class” and seeing fellow students and professors every day.

What I’m looking forward to this year. Virtual learning will definitely be different this semester, but professors seem prepared to make it work. I myself am feeling excited that we will be able to have school from the comfort of our own homes, but also that some surprise guests (my fat grey cat, Chunky, specifically) will make surprise appearances. The introvert in me loves asynchronous work, but the idea of video class is daunting as well. For many students, professors have presented flexibility that wasn’t present in face to face classes. If you miss a class, some professors record them, so when watching, it’s almost as if you were a fly on someone’s MacBook Air. With all of us trudging through, I hope that we can all still appreciate class time together.

This semester, Sophomore Health Science Major, Amaya Farr, is fighting for more than honors credits. Working with the Congress’ Veterans History Project, she is building a monument of memories to honor men and women who have served their country.

It all started when Dr. Karen Neal, Associate Professor in the Psychology Department, visited the Library of Congress in Washington DC. “I saw flyers for their Veterans History Project . . . [and] realized this would be a wonderful project which relates directly to my area of psychology, human development,” she said. The project falls in her field, but she says it is also close to her heart. “[M]y father fought in WWII, and my husband is a retired army officer” Neal told me.

Farr is a Preyer Honors Program student who took Neal’s Developmental Psychology course this semester. Neal introduced her to the project and set her up with all the connections she needed. “Dr. Neal has been an amazing assist in helping me with technology and personal contact,” said Farr.

Armed with incredible faculty support, she was excited to get started. “The final [goal] is a 30 min+ voice recording of me interviewing the veteran to document and recap his/her time in service.” With her objective in place, she began collecting information.

Unfortunately, midway through her research, current events seeped into Farr’s preservation of the past. As Queens responded to the global pandemic, campus closed, and students went home.

“Before we left due to COVID-19, I was partnered with the president of our campus Veterans Center. We were in contact and he was very willing and excited to participate in the project alongside me” explained Farr. As classes reopened online, students took a deep breath and returned to their coursework. Dropped into unprecedented circumstances with a substantial class load and social distancing in full effect, Neal expected Farr would have to pause her work on the project.

Back in her home town, Farr scoped out her position in a surreal new normal and then got back on her feet. “After the switch I kind of had to uproot all that we established and completely change subjects to a veteran from my hometown,” she said. She found a new connection and pushed forward with her research. Even though she “had to essentially complete [the work] twice,” Farr was dedicated to “contributing to American historical documentation.” For her, it was important to record these experiences for “future scholars . . . to learn and understand the events that occurred during [a] specific veteran’s lifetime” from a “primary perspective.”

Most of her resources may have shifted, but Dr. Neal’s support and guidance remains the same.

As students honor Veterans through listening and remembrance, their lives are touched. “I know that each student who completes the project will be powerfully affected, as Amaya has been, by the experiences of veterans who have served in combat” said Neal. Her vision has major impact. “I hope Queens students are able to record the stories of many veterans in the area,” she said. As the project lifts up heroes within our communities, Neal hopes it will also “encourage students to contribute the stories of their own friends and family members.”

As studies at Queens continue and the world buffers back into motion online, Farr is one of many students demonstrating remarkable persistence as she harnesses technology to carry the experiences and perspectives of Veterans into the future.

Gabrielle Girard

Label Me Latina/o is celebrating ten years! This biannual online publication consists of academic essays and creative work by authors who self-identify as Latinx. The journal highlights stellar writing and celebrates language and heritage in a bilingual reading experience.

One of the journal’s founders, Dr. Michele Shaul, is a professor of Spanish in the World Languages Department at Queens and serves as co-editor and co-director. From the time of Hurricane Hugo to the present, she has witnessed the growth of the World Languages Department and participated in the development of the Center for Latino Studies at Queens.

Partnering with the Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement office, the General Education program, and the larger community, the Center for Latino Studies has recorded oral histories and created substantial programming. Arte Latino Now, a vibrant art exhibit, is one of the center’s events and has been going on for almost nine years.

Amid these exciting developments at Queens, Shaul was inspired to start an e-journal with Kathryn Quinn-Sánchez, a professor at Georgian Court University. Shaul attended a conference session that covered the shift of academic journals to online platforms in the digital age. The idea for Label Me Latina/o was sparked.

Today, Label Me Latina/o is “indexed by the MLA International Bibliography, listed in the MLA Directory of Periodicals, and is a member of Latinoamericana: Asociación de Revistas Literarias y Culturales.” It can be found through various academic databases, and you can also find it here: Label me Latina/o

When asked about whether the content of the journal has shifted since its beginning, Shaul observed that the change has not necessarily been in content but rather in the volume of submissions. Authors like Sandra Cisneros have been written about and interviews with authors have been published. In all of the work that is published, articles and creative work written in English, Spanish, and Spanglish are accepted.

Shaul’s work as co-editor has provided her with “access to a lot of neat creative stuff,” which she has used in her Latino Literature class. She has been introduced to pieces that are not normally taught in classrooms as they are not included in anthologies. Two playwrights even let Shaul have a PDF of their plays so that students wouldn’t have to buy it. Thus, Label Me Latina/o is a part of a rich educational experience at Queens, and has allowed Shaul to incorporate more theatrical pieces into her teaching.

Several Queens professors are on the editorial review board of Label Me Latina/o; Dr. Shaul noted that this community existed before the journal existed, observing that Queens has historically been a space that has been receptive to collaboration. The journal has been yet another a way for professors to support each other while allowing Dr. Shaul to find quality peer review readers. With Queens’ faculty and a strong community at its back, Label me Latina/o is looking forward to another year of linguistic excellence.

 

Like most other universities across the nation, Queens University students have gone through a tremendous transition in the past few weeks.  While students, faculty and staff all regret the circumstances, we understand the need to move to an online medium, and we appreciate the university’s priority in keeping our community safe and healthy.  And, while we do not study together physically, we continue moving forward with our studies, albeit “remotely.”  Our CAS blog writers have compiled here some of the things they’ll miss but also some of the things they are grateful for and looking forward to:

From Nia Murat:

• I’ll Miss: My London family. Unfortunately, due to the rapid spread of the corona-virus, I was pulled prematurely from my study abroad family. Thankfully, Queens’ Study Abroad office was able to get me home quickly and safely. As much as I miss my lost time in London and the international group of friends I was fortunate enough to meet, I’m glad that I was able to make it home safely.
• I’m Grateful: That I am fortunate enough to have everything I need to ride out this epidemic. I know many have been affected by economic and social conflict surrounding this outbreak, and my family has been affected as well. But I am extremely grateful that my family is healthy and safe.
• I’m Looking Forward To: heading back to Queens in the fall and seeing all of my wonderful Queens University family! I’ve been lucky enough to have the kindest professors, a few of them taking the time among all of the confusion to reach out to me to make sure I’m weathering the storm alright. I’m so excited to go back to see my community down in Charlotte and get my Senior year off to a good start.

From Emily Iknayan:

• Miss:  I personally try to avoid online classes at all costs, but we are, of course, living in unprecedented times, making online classes the only option. The in-person community we are able to build at Queens is really unmatched. I appreciate being able to bounce my ideas off of my peers and professors, and online learning has diminished the collaborative learning that goes on in a classroom, which is its biggest downfall. RingCentral/Zoom can try to replicate this, but it simply is not the same. Although, I do believe that the asynchronous style makes this transition a bit easier on students.
• Grateful for:  Researching for the various papers I have to complete during the remaining part of the semester continues to be exciting and interesting. Sometimes there’s nothing better than finding what seems like the perfect source. I have enjoyed getting really involved in my research because it’s one of the most enriching distractions, and some of it even offers hope in the midst of the doom and gloom.
• Looking forward to:  I’m looking forward to being able to be in a physical classroom again for my junior year. I have an agreeable course schedule lined up, and I will be participating in Critical Thought Symposium for the 2020-2021 school year. I think it’s really important to keep the future in mind because it’s easy to get bogged down in the moment–there are exciting things to come!!

From Gabrielle Girard, who will graduate in May:

• Miss:  I miss in-class discussions with no static, studio art, and bumping into friends and professors in the coffee shop.
• Grateful for:  As classes pick back up online, I am glad to be taking Global Studies. For me, learning about different countries and watching the way policies shape the world feels more crucial than ever, as we face a global emergency together.
• Looking forward to: At Queens, I have found a voice as a writer, a foothold in literature, and strength in communication and learning. A lot of structure has disassembled for now. In this new space, I am building ways to manage time, prioritize learning, and stay connected with the people I love, at any distance. I am also watching Netflix. My time at Queens, including this unusual semester, has made me feel excited and prepared when I think about the future.

Many thanks to our staff writers for persisting with their studies and other work, including the blog, through the upheaval.  We have a couple more stories coming your way, so stay tuned to this page.  In the meantime, our sympathy goes out to those impacted in so many ways by the coronavirus pandemic.  We hope each of you will find some inspiration in your present situation, and we wish fortitude for all.  Stay well!

Spotlighting the History Department

The History Department at Queens might not have a time machine, but last month it sent students Becca Sobus and Bree David to San Antonio, Texas to present research at the Phi Alpha Theta National History Conference.

Sobus, a senior, is minoring in Philosophy. “Queens was a huge source of inspiration for
me!” she said. Her research landed close to home, following the University’s history from its original founding as the Charlotte Female Institute. “My final thesis focused on how the combination of religion with education defined the role of southern women during this time (1857-1871)” said Sobus. She found evidence that the original “educational model [was] based on religious constructs, following earlier precedent,” and studied its connection to women.

David, a junior minoring in International Studies, has a less local fascination. Her research was “about the development of Marxist-Leninism in Greece and Yugoslavia from 1917 to the World War II era,” said David. Within her major, she has found her passion. David “developed a concentration in Balkan history, particularly in Greece around the period from about 1900-1950,” and is also interested in “the World War I and World War II eras in general.”

During preparation for the conference, both students had experts on their side. Gathering the facts, Sobus knew right where to go. She reached out to Hugh O’Connor, Queens’ archivist. Using Everett Library’s databases, they

“combed through numerous physical primary sources.” Faculty support was a major factor in her process. “I highly recommend reaching out to Hugh for any NC research questions!” said Sobus. She also wanted to thank the generous donations of the Preyer family’s scholarship fund. “[I]f it wasn’t for [them] it would not have been possible for me to attend and experience the National Conference, so I would like to take a moment and thank them here as well for their support.”

 

For David’s research, the Queens classroom was the launchpad. It all started in a paper she wrote for a “300-level Russian Revolutions history course with (History Professor) Dr. Bob Whalen.” In addition to awesome guidance in class, David found meeting with her academic advisor, (Associate Professor in the History Department) Dr. Barry Robinson, “incredibly helpful.” They went through both her paper and her presentation together. “He provided me with some great tips on refining my paper,” she said.

After weeks of preparation, the students arrived in Texas ready to present. With no technology available, they ditched their PowerPoints. “I had to rely more on a storytelling model to present my research” said Sobus. Thanks to rigorous rehearsal and a strong grip on their research, they were able to rally and deliver compelling presentations without their visual aids.

The Phi Alpha Theta National History Conference was a valuable milestone in the students’ personal histories. Sobus was excited to be “surrounded by a historical community from all across the US” and she hopes to continue to explore “methods of public relations to. . . . convey [the historical] narrative to a broader public audience.”

As incredible as the conference was, the students found their portal to learning on campus. “[O]ne of the most important resources that Queens has provided me with is an incredibly supportive History Department [that] fosters the love of learning and exploration,” said David.

Sobus and David are fueling up with knowledge in the History Department at Queens that will boost them as they rocket off to bright futures.

Gabrielle Girard

Spotlight:  CAS Success doesn’t just happen in Charlotte–we take our curiosity abroad, too!

I first set foot on the Regent’s University of London campus jet lagged, exhausted, and thoroughly ready to take a nap. The daunting idea of making new friends or even meeting my roommate was the furthest thing on my mind as I hauled all 51 lbs of my luggage upstairs – the dorm doesn’t have a lift and I found that I’m on the the top floor. But even running on four hours of sleep and pure willpower, I couldn’t help but watch the sunrise over the London city streets with awe.

a city street near Holland Park

History flows down the streets of this city like the rain – from the statue of Sherlock Holmes right in front of the Baker Street Station to the wide, gilded gates that lead to Queen Mary’s Rose Garden that sits feet away from the entrance to Regent’s. Even the university has a history of its own, as one of the only private universities in London, one that’s owned and maintained by the crown.  Some of this history we were told during the fast-paced introduction to London that was Induction Week. Other bits and pieces you had to find on your own wandering London, or even just taking a stroll around the surrounding Regent’s Park. It was fascinating to actually walk the streets of London, as I recalled the description of the city I read in a course at Queens on Modernism. The novel in question was The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, an author that I’m also exploring here in a Literary Theory course. In it, Conrad paints late 19th, early 20th century London as foggy and mysterious, dense with people and nefarious plots. I find that there are far fewer ominous fog clouds, but probably even more people than Conrad imagined.

The gates to Queen Mary’s Garden

One of the Regent’s Park Trails

One of the more evident sources of history, and my personal favorite, is the British Museum. My favorite excursion off campus on my own was to this treasure trove of culture – I spent three hours alone in the section about ancient Egyptian history. I plan on making a semi-weekly visit, to ensure I can peruse at my leisure and make the most of the free attraction. And it doesn’t hurt that there’s a dessert place or two nearby.

This is just a sneak peak at my adventures here, ones made possible through the Queens Study Abroad program. I’m ecstatic to see what else London and the UK have in store for me in the next few months.

Nia Murat

Note:  CAS student and staff writer Nia Murat, a junior Creative Writing and Literature double-major and Music minor, will post periodically about her experiences abroad–letting us all live vicariously through her!