My name is Samantha Howell and I am currently working on my MA at American University. My concentration is in European History within the Public History track. This blog is a project requirement for the spring 2010 Digital History course taught by Jeremy Boggs. I will also be developing a final project here as well as incorporating some of my Public History work in order to establish an academic portfolio. This site will be updated and modified continuously, so any suggestions or comments are appreciated and encouraged!
I am currently residing in Washington DC but I am a Pennsylvania native. Last year I received a BA degree in History with minors in International Studies and Spanish from Shippensburg University. I owe many thanks to my undergraduate professors for their guidance and support.
Throughout my undergraduate career I was involved in numerous internships and activities with the History program at Shippensburg. I was an active member and the historian of Phi Alpha Theta, served a summer internship at the Shippensburg Historical Society, and was privileged to be able to complete an independent study under Dr. Mark Spicka. My independent study culminated in a research paper which examined the mechanisms of survival for women in Lodz Ghetto, Poland. This paper received a Paper of Distinction award in European History at the Spring 2009 Phi Alpha Theta conference at Millersville University. My particular area of interest in history is in Holocaust and genocide studies. I hope that upon graduation, or at some point during my career, I will be able to obtain a position at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
In my short time at American University I have been able to take advantage of wonderful internship opportunities. Last semester a group of Public History Seminar students, including myself, completed a service project with the National Law Enforcement Museum. Currently, Jen Jablonsky and I are serving at Arlington House to complete a service project (in conjunction with Arlington National Cemetery) to develop interpretive wayside signs. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on the progress of this project throughout the semester.
If you are interested in checking out my digital history resource website click on: Women in Lodz