While at UMass, Nick pursued opportunities to enrich himself intellectually and culturally. He thrived in courses ranging from Latin American to LGBTQ History. Outside the classroom, Nick participated in the Shaha Diversity Theater group where he wrote and performed plays focused on issues of social justice. During the summer after his first year, he travelled to Peru to teach English to children. These experiences enhanced Nick’s understanding of the world and confirmed his passion for education.

From Germany to China to the Caribbean, Michael studied histories near and far. In the process, he learned to recognize and reevaluate the paradigms of his own culture and historical moment. He says: “History allows you to learn about a variety of places and people. You can gain specific knowledge about a particular culture while also developing a broader understanding of how that culture changed over time.” 

Joy converted her enthusiasm for archival research into an internship with the Sexual Minorities Archives (SMA) in Northampton, which was part of a UMass Creative Economies Initiative project directed by Professor Julio Capó Jr., History Outreach Director Dr. Jessica Johnson, and UWW Professor Mitch Boucher. For her internship, Joy categorized periodicals, created finding aids, and processed new materials into the SMA’s collection.

Throughout her time at UMass, Amy took a creative, interdisciplinary approach to her study of history, seizing the opportunity to connect history with art, literature, social justice and more.

Founder and Executive Director of the GroundTruth Project and Co-founder of GlobalPost