Our Alumni
Our graduates - making their mark all over the world
> Historians at Work: Careers in History
History PhDs are increasingly looking for and finding work outside of the traditional academic job market. The Canadian Historical Association's Committee on the Future of the History PhD in Canada is convening a seminar series to focus on job opportunities for PhD graduates within and beyond academia. The speakers include recent PhD's who have found jobs in government, the private sector, museums and universities. They will speak to their own journey in finding work and offer tips for people looking for work in similar fields. The seminars will be bilingual, with presenters using the language of their choice.
CAREERS IN GOVERNMENT - APRIL 27, 2PM EDT
Sarah Shropshire (UofG PhD '21), Policy Analyst, Public Health Agency of Canada
Henry Trim, Senior Economist, Natural Resources Canada
Cara Spittal, Manager, Housing Strategy and Transformation, Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Government of Nova Scotia
Marie-Eve Ouellet, Cultural Heritage Advisor at the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec
Phil Van Huizen, Senior Advisor, First Nations Relations, B.C. Ministry of Forests
Registration (free) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpc-6upjkuH9X06GF3aNlvJ5RD6ZbQ-QrG
The April 19 event in the series, Historians at Work: Careers in History - Private Sector, featured Guelph History PhDs Alice Glaze (PhD '17), Research Director at consulting company Know History and Maria Toledo Candelaria (PhD '18), Program Manager at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation discussing their career paths in the for-profit and non-profit private sector.
That webinar (and others in the series in future) are available on the CHA YouTube channel
> Careers for History Majors Seminars
Each semester the History Department invites some of our recent graduates back to campus to talk about their careers at our "Careers for History Students" Seminars.
Our Careers for History Students event for Winter 2022 featured Mayleah Quenneville (BA’12/JD’15) Criminal Defence Lawyer at Aly Amjad Law Group and Sarah Kelly (BA’15/MI’18/MMSt’18) Manager, Business Analyst, Enterprise Data Lifecycle Management at TD Canada Trust. They shared their experiences and provided excellent advice. They said to calm down: getting a career is not a race. Cast your net widely, be curious, get involved. It’s fine to try a career path and change your mind. Both found that skills developed in seminars and essays were very valuable in their careers and shared tips on how to market a history degree to employers who might not understand its value.
Watch for the upcoming Careers event in fall 2022 where other alumni will join us!
Our Fall 2016 Gateway Seminar, 27 October, featured Monica Finlay (MA 2011) researcher and analyst for Edelman, the world's largest communication-marketing company; Graham Shular (BAH 2012) occasional teacher in the Thames Valley District School Board; and Robbie Berardi (BAH 2012) teacher/interpreter specialising in blacksmithing at the Waterloo Region Museum. All speakers expressed how valuable a History degree is since research and communication skills are easily transferrable to a variety of fulfilling careers. Photo: Graham Shular & Robbie Berardi
Our Winter 2016 Gateway Seminar featured Sonja Missio (BAH, History’08), a Prospect Researcher and Information Officer at North York General Foundation, and Samuel Sharp (BAH, History'12, MA History'15), a Historical Interpreter at the Gibson House Museum and a Program Instructor at Colborne Lodge Museum, Toronto.
Our Winter 2015 Gateway Seminar featured two recent graduates of our program: Joe Cull (BA '12), who is an archaeologist working in the Toronto area after earning an Archaeology M.A. at University College Dublin, and Lauren Katsuno, who is a teacher in Guelph.
Fall 2014: History Education, Diverse Careers
Barb Legault (BA '04, MA '07) and Eamon O'Flynn (BA '08) share their experiences putting their Guelph degrees to work by pursuing higher degrees at University of Toronto and Western University, and using their training in History to land positions at the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport for Barb, and at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics for Eamon.
Fall 2013: A Life in Foreign Affairs, featuring Brett Thompson
Brett (BA '07) shares his experience as a History graduate navigating the world of graduate school, internships, and the workforce as a policy analyst at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development in Ottawa. Brett will discuss how his Guelph History degree has shaped his career.