Athena Richardson ’13

I took some time off after graduating high school, and when I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree the choice was between Hood and an out-of-state school. The deciding factor was the Adult Studies program that allowed non-traditional students to take classes at a discounted rate part time

To be honest, being a history major was never on my radar. I’ve always enjoyed history, but never thought about it as a career.  I took a class with Dr. Emilie Amt as an elective while pursuing another major that ended up not being a good fit. My advisor suggested I major in history based on my grade and experience in Dr. Amt’s class. I did not have a career in mind but was willing to give it a try. The following semester was a complete 180! I went from dreading my classes to enjoying them. When the National Museum of African American History and Culture held its groundbreaking in 2012, that was when I began to investigate careers in the museum field.

Minoring in African American studies was the difference maker for me. Shout out to Dr. Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs who recruited me into the program! The interdisciplinary approached helped to broaden the way I looked at history, which impacted my research style and topics of interest. The most impactful course was “African American Feminist Thought”, because it was the first time I saw myself, and my experiences, reflected in an academic setting

With this familiarity, it made pursuing a Master of Arts in American Studies at The University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) an easy decision.

While there are many, our “Voices of Alabama” oral history is a source of pride because phase one of the project was my first project to plan and execute with the Consortium. I will be speaking about Voices of Alabama with my colleague and interviewee, Joyce O’Neal on Wednesday February 17^th at Hood (virtually)! I hope you’ll be able to join us.

Keep going. Yes, it’s a challenge commuting, class work, and working, but it will all pay off, even better than you are imagining.

I think about the hours spent in Hodson Library, and Whittaker between classes, and how even though I did not live on campus, it still feels like home.