History – Outstanding Senior 2020

Clubs, Organizations, Leadership, and Service

• History Club
• Palouse Habitat for Humanity
• Pullman Child Welfare Food Pantry

Internships and Employment

• WSU Libraries – Staff Assistant – Access Services
• Alpine Vision Center – certified optician and lab technician

Undergraduate Research

• Middle Eastern Research Scholarship to study the influence of 20^th-century Western imperialism that led to the rise of the Ba’ath party and consequently influenced the ongoing Syrian Civil War.
• Thigpen Scholarship Research: Racial disparity in the American prison system based on discrepancies in education, policing, and hiring practices that keep racial minorities from being successful, as well as federal policies currently in place that keep former prison inmates from successfully reintegrating to society.

Awards and Recognition

• 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Senior in History
• President’s Honor Roll
• Middle East History Research and Scholarship Fund Award
• Stephen L. Thigpen Scholarship for Undergraduate Research
• Graduated summa cum laude

Faculty Comments

“Christine has impressed me as a mature, responsible young woman who is not only deeply committed to education but also gifted with high intelligence and such a tremendous work ethic that she will exceed expectations wherever she goes. Her students will benefit from her efforts in the classroom, and we will all benefit from her efforts as an engaged citizen and participant in her community.”  –Dr. Theresa Jordan

Personal Statement

I’d like to start off by thanking my family for the support they’ve given me throughout my undergraduate career, especially when I decided to uproot my life in Los Angeles and move to Pullman to finally finish my bachelor’s degree. The faculty and staff of the history department at WSU have also played a major role in my academic success, providing me with the valuable tools I’ll need to become an effective and engaging secondary history teacher. Theresa Jordan was especially helpful from my first semester to the last, gradually becoming my mentor as I delved more into the principles of teaching social studies and history. Her input for my numerous lesson plans and assignments was invaluable as she taught me how to adapt my teaching style for multiple types of learners. I’ve been very lucky to have such a strong support system around me and they have tremendously contributed to my success.

As a future teacher, I am responsible for providing my students with the necessary skills to help them succeed after high school, as well as teaching them compassion, kindness, and tolerance for beliefs and ideas that may differ from their own. I admire teachers for the amount of work they do and the positive impact they have every day on the lives of their students, which is one of the main reasons why I have chosen to make teaching my life-long career. I am excited to begin my next step with WSU’s Master in Teaching program to help me finally fulfill this goal. I’ve chosen a career that’s going to be remarkably rewarding and I cannot wait to start!

Honored Faculty and Mentors

• Theresa Jordan, clinical associate professor, Department of History
• R. Charles Weller, clinical assistant professor, Department of History

Future Plans

Christine will complete her master’s in teaching degree at WSU and then pursue a teaching position in Central or Western Washington. She might also like to coach volleyball.