Hello – my name is Katie Campbell, and I am a second year graduate student in the Public History MA program. I am from Annapolis, MD and got my bachelors from Towson University where I majored in History and minored in Museum Studies. Growing up, my mother was an elementary school history teacher so I have had an interest in the past from a very young age. However, it was not until I started taking history courses in undergrad, that I realized how biased, mythicized, racist, sexist (the list goes on) the dominant historical narrative is in the U.S. I wanted my life’s work to revolve around shifting the popular narrative, helping amplify previously silenced voices, and making space for every perspective on U.S. history. This dream inspired me to get involved in public history, specifically in interpretation and museum education.
Some notable work I completed as an undergraduate includes an internship with Historic Annapolis at the William Paca House and Garden where I worked alongside the curator and learned a lot about the important work that goes into accessioning, deaccessioning, protecting objects, constantly being on top of the historical research regarding your organization, location, or institution, and interpreting objects for the public. I was also hired by Towson’s history department as a research assistant, and worked in the archives doing research on TU’s Black student body and faculty in a effort to create a more comprehensive historical narrative of the university. Additionally, I completed an independent study on Baltimore museums and their interpretation of Black history from Fred Wilson’s 1992-3 exhibition Mining the Museum, at the MD Historical Society, to the present day.
At American University, I have had the privilege to work with amazing professors, peers, and DC organizations such as the DC History Center. In this class, I look forward to continuing acquiring new skills, and broadening my historical interests. As someone who is not tech savvy, I am eager to learn about the digital components of historical interpretation, and feel confident in my ability to use them in my career moving forward. Outside of academia, I work at the library in my hometown, enjoy thrifting, exploring new places, cooking, and crafting! I look forward to getting to know and working with all of you this semester!