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Friday, June 22, 2007

History Grad

I was honored by being chosen to be the undergraduate speaker for the history graduation ceremony for Stanford's Graduation activities on June 17, 2007. Here's the text of my speech, for posterity:

Thank you.

For the past four years, when many of my peers asked what I majored in and I told them it was history, there was usually an awkward pause, a sideways turn of the head, and "Oh, history." I've always felt like there was a stigma against our major; that writing papers was not as rigorous as a problem set. That taking a class that meets one day a week could be really worth five units (my friends are really jealous about that one), or that you can't do anything with the major. But, I think all of us graduating today have proved those people wrong. I would like to talk about history in two forms - the passion and the practical. I would like to comment on what studying history has meant for me now, and how a history degree will help myself and my classmates in the future.

I wasn't always a history major. When I first came to Stanford, I was premed. After a tough quarter of math and chemistry, I decided to do what was recommended thorough-out Freshman orientation - take classes that interest you. I stumbled into a class called "Introduction to Asian American History." As you can tell, I'm obviously Asian, but I grew up in St. Louis Missouri, where there are hardly any Asian people. It was the first time I had taken a class where the topic had relevance to my own life. It was the first time I had felt passionate about a subject. And it was the first time where I had an opportunity to meet a professor who could inspire me to switch majors, write a thesis, and consider graduate school in history. So thank you Professor Chang, for teaching me the value of history and making me envious of an office filled to the ceiling with books. I would not be here today without your mentorship.

History has taught me the value of being a critical thinker and active citizen in our society. My roommate Sophomore year didn't even know where Missouri was on the United States map, so I bought him an atlas. My dorm mates learned a great deal this year about Japanese Americans who returned to San Francisco after World War II, the topic of my thesis, through dinner time conversations and forcing a few to revise my chapters. You can't go wrong with a subject you love, so if anyone in the audience would like to talk with me in more detail about my thesis, please see me after the ceremony.

This major has also prepared me for the future. Two months ago, during Freshman Admit Weekend, I spoke on a panel for my job as a research assistant at the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, which is directed by history professor Clayborne Carson. A parent directly asked me about the practicality of a history major. I told her that there is a common misconception about history - it is not just facts and dates. It is about analyzing the human condition, about discovering how people and systems operated in the past, allowing us to understand values and solutions that are practical and workable in a broader context. And I concluded by saying, "So you can major in history, and still get a job." And the parents actually started clapping! Can you believe that?

But, it's true. We are all moving on to promising futures. The world, more than ever, needs people with an understanding of human events, or even more simply, people who know how to read, analyze, write, and defend their ideas. In many ways, it is the most practical major Stanford offers.

Finally, I think many would agree with me that we owe a great deal to our professors. In class, you questioned our ideas and taught us how to question others. I guess the all-nighters to finish papers were worth it. We didn't just write papers that regurgitated material, but produced original scholarly papers that looked at a particular event, person, or organization in a completely innovative way. We have all emerged as true historians - critical thinkers, passionate readers, and researchers keen on having a better understanding of human events.

Wherever life leads us, we are prepared. Thank you faculty, friends, and family for coming today.

Thank you.

Friday, June 22, 2007

History Grad

I was honored by being chosen to be the undergraduate speaker for the history graduation ceremony for Stanford's Graduation activities on June 17, 2007. Here's the text of my speech, for posterity:

Thank you.

For the past four years, when many of my peers asked what I majored in and I told them it was history, there was usually an awkward pause, a sideways turn of the head, and "Oh, history." I've always felt like there was a stigma against our major; that writing papers was not as rigorous as a problem set. That taking a class that meets one day a week could be really worth five units (my friends are really jealous about that one), or that you can't do anything with the major. But, I think all of us graduating today have proved those people wrong. I would like to talk about history in two forms - the passion and the practical. I would like to comment on what studying history has meant for me now, and how a history degree will help myself and my classmates in the future.

I wasn't always a history major. When I first came to Stanford, I was premed. After a tough quarter of math and chemistry, I decided to do what was recommended thorough-out Freshman orientation - take classes that interest you. I stumbled into a class called "Introduction to Asian American History." As you can tell, I'm obviously Asian, but I grew up in St. Louis Missouri, where there are hardly any Asian people. It was the first time I had taken a class where the topic had relevance to my own life. It was the first time I had felt passionate about a subject. And it was the first time where I had an opportunity to meet a professor who could inspire me to switch majors, write a thesis, and consider graduate school in history. So thank you Professor Chang, for teaching me the value of history and making me envious of an office filled to the ceiling with books. I would not be here today without your mentorship.

History has taught me the value of being a critical thinker and active citizen in our society. My roommate Sophomore year didn't even know where Missouri was on the United States map, so I bought him an atlas. My dorm mates learned a great deal this year about Japanese Americans who returned to San Francisco after World War II, the topic of my thesis, through dinner time conversations and forcing a few to revise my chapters. You can't go wrong with a subject you love, so if anyone in the audience would like to talk with me in more detail about my thesis, please see me after the ceremony.

This major has also prepared me for the future. Two months ago, during Freshman Admit Weekend, I spoke on a panel for my job as a research assistant at the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, which is directed by history professor Clayborne Carson. A parent directly asked me about the practicality of a history major. I told her that there is a common misconception about history - it is not just facts and dates. It is about analyzing the human condition, about discovering how people and systems operated in the past, allowing us to understand values and solutions that are practical and workable in a broader context. And I concluded by saying, "So you can major in history, and still get a job." And the parents actually started clapping! Can you believe that?

But, it's true. We are all moving on to promising futures. The world, more than ever, needs people with an understanding of human events, or even more simply, people who know how to read, analyze, write, and defend their ideas. In many ways, it is the most practical major Stanford offers.

Finally, I think many would agree with me that we owe a great deal to our professors. In class, you questioned our ideas and taught us how to question others. I guess the all-nighters to finish papers were worth it. We didn't just write papers that regurgitated material, but produced original scholarly papers that looked at a particular event, person, or organization in a completely innovative way. We have all emerged as true historians - critical thinkers, passionate readers, and researchers keen on having a better understanding of human events.

Wherever life leads us, we are prepared. Thank you faculty, friends, and family for coming today.

Thank you.