Looking Forward by Looking Back

Northwestern University is one of several schools in the United States which operates on a unique calendar known as the quarter system. With a school year that starts and stops over a month after most universities, Northwestern students have a special opportunity to reflect on the previous academic year and contemplate the future well into the fall. As Northwestern students currently prepare to begin the 2021-22 academic year, I looked into The HistoryMakers Digital Archive to see what the process of choosing classes, returning to school, and thinking about the future looked like for the Black leaders who paved the way for me.

New Northwestern University students enter the University in a tradition known as ‘March Through the Arch.’

The first HistoryMakers whose story I learned from was Medical Maker and Political Maker Myrtle Davis. Davis spoke about her transition from high school to college and how classes became more difficult. “[Classes] were certainly more difficult in college [Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana], I mean, and re- required a lot more time. My schedule was very busy… So, I mean, it didn't leave a lot of time for messing around and being irresponsible, you know. You really had to study.” Davis’ recollection of her transition from high school to college is very similar to my own. Due to COVID-19, I spent my freshman year of college online, but as I have begun to transition into my sophomore year in person, my schedule is full with classes, clubs, study groups, and, of course, the work I do with The HistoryMakers.

While I do not feel overwhelmed by my schedule, many students do; this pressure is often exacerbated by the burden of taking classes which students do not find interesting. However, taking interesting classes and joining clubs with engaging focuses can help make an overwhelming schedule seem enjoyable. Davis spoke about her favorite classes as a college student. “Well, I enjoyed all of my chemistry classes and biology classes… there was a Sister who taught English my freshman year, who was--there was--I mean, she was just one of my favorite people but she was--I also enjoyed her English class as well.” MilitaryMaker Christine Knighton also spoke about her favorite subjects while she studied at Tuskegee Institute. “…I mean I enjoyed writing, and I discovered that I could actually write, right, at Tuskegee… Educational psychology was one of my favorite classes, and that required us to do a lot of deep research. History, again, was one of my favorite subjects. And the English department and the history department would usually join forces in ensuring that we wrote, you know, something that was meaningful and that was tied to history.” As I choose my classes for this quarter and for the year, I am prioritizing classes that complete distribution requirements, or courses from a variety of subjects in order to broaden students’ perspectives. Because of these requirements, I tend to find myself in courses that I am not especially interested in, such as English classes. However, once I complete my distribution requirements, I will be able to focus on classes in subjects I am interested in, especially Political Science, Communications, and African-American Studies.

One final factor that many students take into consideration while choosing classes and extracurricular activities is the relationships that they will form. As many people say, success is not about what you know, but who you know, and college is an incredible opportunity to network with a variety of successful people. Lawmaker Harold D. Melton spoke about his relationships with professors and other students while he was a student at Auburn University. “I didn't have any problems with any of the professors… I didn't generally get to know the teachers, some of the classes where the big two hundred student classes. Teachers generally didn't get to know me unless there was a reason to and most of the time it wasn't a reason to and so I just, I just did the work and took the test…”. It can be more difficult to make connections in large lecture classes. Because of this, some people will choose to major or minor in a smaller department in order to make more meaningful connections. Additionally, joining clubs outside of the classroom can enhance the connections made inside of it. Melton also spoke about the difference between larger lectures and smaller classes and how there were opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. “…many of the classes were you know the twenty to thirty student class size that you would expect… I always tell people at Auburn you got two tracks for your education, you got the formal classroom scenario, but because of the nature of the school and the energy people put into the school the extracurriculars provide another area for personal growth and activity.” As a college student, I value my classes and my extracurricular activities, and I make sure to take the time to develop the connections I make in all of them.

While I do not feel overwhelmed by my schedule, many students do; this pressure is often exacerbated by the burden of taking classes which students do not find interesting. However, taking interesting classes and joining clubs with engaging focuses can help make an overwhelming schedule seem enjoyable. Davis spoke about her favorite classes as a college student. “Well, I enjoyed all of my chemistry classes and biology classes… there was a Sister who taught English my freshman year, who was--there was--I mean, she was just one of my favorite people but she was--I also enjoyed her English class as well.” MilitaryMaker Christine Knighton also spoke about her favorite subjects while she studied at Tuskegee Institute. “…I mean I enjoyed writing, and I discovered that I could actually write, right, at Tuskegee… Educational psychology was one of my favorite classes, and that required us to do a lot of deep research. History, again, was one of my favorite subjects. And the English department and the history department would usually join forces in ensuring that we wrote, you know, something that was meaningful and that was tied to history.” As I choose my classes for this quarter and for the year, I am prioritizing classes that complete distribution requirements, or courses from a variety of subjects in order to broaden students’ perspectives. Because of these requirements, I tend to find myself in courses that I am not especially interested in, such as English classes. However, once I complete my distribution requirements, I will be able to focus on classes in subjects I am interested in, especially Political Science, Communications, and African-American Studies.

One final factor that many students take into consideration while choosing classes and extracurricular activities is the relationships that they will form. As many people say, success is not about what you know, but who you know, and college is an incredible opportunity to network with a variety of successful people. Lawmaker Harold D. Melton spoke about his relationships with professors and other students while he was a student at Auburn University. “I didn't have any problems with any of the professors… I didn't generally get to know the teachers, some of the classes where the big two hundred student classes. Teachers generally didn't get to know me unless there was a reason to and most of the time it wasn't a reason to and so I just, I just did the work and took the test…”. It can be more difficult to make connections in large lecture classes. Because of this, some people will choose to major or minor in a smaller department in order to make more meaningful connections. Additionally, joining clubs outside of the classroom can enhance the connections made inside of it. Melton also spoke about the difference between larger lectures and smaller classes and how there were opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. “…many of the classes were you know the twenty to thirty student class size that you would expect… I always tell people at Auburn you got two tracks for your education, you got the formal classroom scenario, but because of the nature of the school and the energy people put into the school the extracurriculars provide another area for personal growth and activity.” As a college student, I value my classes and my extracurricular activities, and I make sure to take the time to develop the connections I make in all of them.

As I prepare for a new school year, I am taking the lessons I have learned from The HistoryMakers Digital Archive with me. I hope to continue learning from the Archive as the school year progresses in order to become the best student I can be and one day become a HistoryMaker myself.