Caught by Surprise: A Lesson in Being Prepared for Anything

Next week, I will be meeting with graduate students in the African-American Studies department at my school to talk about different research and history resources, including The HistoryMakers Digital Archive.

You’re probably wondering how I got here.

Ten days ago, I began my second academic year at Northwestern University. Like most new beginnings, these past ten days have been chaotically busy and full of transition. One thing I did prioritize at the beginning of this quarter was meeting with all of my professors in order to foster new academic relationships. In a meeting with one of my African-American Studies professors, I mentioned my work as a Student Brand Ambassador for The HistoryMakers and explained what The HistoryMakers is.

My professor, who is very interested in oral histories, invited me to continue speaking about The HistoryMakers when a group of graduate students came into the classroom to speak with my professor. I watched as my professor and the students discussed working as a TA and grading when, suddenly, my professor turned the attention to me and asked me to speak about The HistoryMakers with all of the students in the room. I spoke about the Digital Archive and all it has to offer and directed all of the students to the Digital Archive on their phones. After my impromptu presentation, one of the students invited me to an informal meeting where she and other graduate students would be discussing research tools within ethnic studies departments.

Had I not been prepared to share my knowledge about The HistoryMakers Digital Archive, this situation could have turned out dramatically different. However, due to my previous preparation and my consistent use of the Digital Archive, I was able to present impressively with no prior notice. While I may not always know when a situation where I will need to speak about The HistoryMakers will arise, I can always be prepared.