History

“So many of the history classes I’ve taken went beyond simply describing what happened in the past. They’ve made me consider how memory shapes history.”

— Jenna Nigro

History and French are perfectly matched majors for Jenna Nigro. Although Jenna never planned to continue French in college, an advisor convinced her to take an introductory French literature class she had tested into. She loved it. She’s since found that her French studies supplement and inform her history studies, which focus on European history.

One semester Jenna studied in Angers, France; the next she studied in Paris and interned at the Musée Carnavalet, a historical museum where she researched French-American relations and suggested topics for tour guides. The following summer found her on a plantation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, helping to translate letters written by its French owner from 1780 to 1820. Currently, she works at a nearby historical society, doing research and archival work.

“History takes a little bit from so many other disciplines—literature, politics, art—and Allegheny’s classes reflect that,” says Jenna. “The classes aren’t just about what happened, but about the meaning of history. So many of the history classes I’ve taken went beyond simply describing what happened in the past. They’ve made me consider how memory shapes history. And how literature, plays, and art present different images of history.”
As much as Jenna enjoys her academic work, her Allegheny experience is much more than the sum of her classes. She plays guitar in the Jazz Band, writes for the Campus newspaper, and gets together with her friends for swing dancing on Friday nights. She also shares her love of music with the community through her show on the campus radio station, WARC.