Vincent Tavolario is a junior studying history at Slippery Rock University. Passionate about the subject, he knew he wanted to major in history since middle school.
“I’ve liked the subject for as long as I can remember,” Tavolario said. “I was in seventh grade, and I was like, ‘Could I do this all the time?’ That sort of sparked my desire to see if I could do this for life.”
According to Tavolario, his wide-ranging interest in history has become more focused since applying it to college coursework.
He compared his liking of history to a Russian nesting doll. “You’re like, ‘Oh, I like history’, well, what history? And you go smaller and smaller until you find your niche,” he said.
Tavolario’s “niche” is contemporary Latin American history.
“I’ve been in love with it for over a year and a half now,” he said about the topic.
Tavolario discussed how he became interested in the topic because of Dr. Thomas Pearcy of the SRU History Department.
“Dr. Pearcy has had a major positive influence on what I do,” Tavolario said. “He teaches Latin American courses, and his enthusiasm for the subject has really inspired me to go down that same track.”
Tavolario also mentioned that the professors in his department keep him going on difficult days.
“The enthusiasm of my professors really helps, because if [they’re] interested in the subject, then I’m hooked,” he said.
Tavolario said his class schedule is predominantly morning classes, with 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. starts.
“I think there are majors on campus who have a more demanding schedule than I do,” he said.
He drew a comparison between his schedule and a friend’s, who is on the pre-physical therapy track.
“He has 8 a.m. classes every single day, and labs from 5-7 at night,” he said.
Though history majors may not have evening labs, the majority of their coursework includes reading textbooks filled with primary sources, writing essays and taking rigorous notes, according to Tavolario.
“With my class schedule right now, I’m reading ten books a night,” he said. “It feels like I’m writing a thesis as an undergrad student.”
Tavolario cited several stereotypes about history majors that he believes are incorrect.
“We’re all kind of nerds, and isolated, and we all play Dungeons and Dragons,” he said, referring to what he believes are others’ misconceptions. “I’ve heard from a friend that we are snotty and form our own cliques.”
Tavolario said this is not true. “I’ve seen history people in my classes make crazy friendships with people in different majors. We don’t have this strange isolation that everyone thinks that we have.”
The history department has unique opportunities for travel. Tavolario mentioned a trip to Panama that some history students will be attending in the summer.
He also mentioned the opportunity to travel for internships, specifically to Florida. “I’ve heard from countless people that they’ve gotten so many opportunities,” he said. “And they can’t say enough good things about it.”
Tavolario said he is strongly considering applying to grad school and getting his PhD to become a college professor.
“That’s just something I’d love to do,” he said. “[To be] in a classroom all day and [talk] about what I want to talk about.”
Tavolario said the group of students he has classes with is close due to how small the history major is on campus.
“I’ve never met a more tight-knit group of people,” he said. “Every history class that I’ve had is with the same people.”
He said the tight-knitted aspect makes his experience more fun.
Tavolario said if students are considering studying history, they should brush up on their reading skills beforehand.
“I would say reading comprehension skills are the most important thing that you could start with, because you need to build that repertoire of reading, reading and reading,” he said.
On days when he feels stressed, Tavolario reminds himself of his passion for the subject.
Tavolario said he felt pulled toward studying history, and encouraged other students to be grateful for their passion, too.
