Q: Hi! Thanks for doing this interview. Could you introduce yourself to us?
A: My name is Tyler Hoag and I’m a senior from Owosso, Mich. I’m majoring in history and education.
Q: I understand you just got back from a big trip; tell us about it!
A: I applied for and received a grant through the Institute for Common Power to go on a five-day bus trip through some of the most-important sites during the American Civil Rights era in the middle of the 20th century: Atlanta, Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham and more. It was absolutely incredible to see these historic areas so up-close and talk to people who actually lived through the era.
I found out about this grant through a connection I had made at a conference for the National Council for History Education, which I attended in order to give a presentation. Due to a class I took with Dr. Kristin Olbertson in the history department, I felt compelled to present on my research, which is what led me to the conference. My Venture grant paid for it.
Q: You’re going to be making a major presentation at Alma College later this year, is that correct?
A: I’ve had lots of opportunities to do undergraduate research while being a student here. A topic that really interests me is land, its history, and the implications of our existence on this land. In November, I’m hosting a full exhibit in the Clack Art Center that will explore the history of Alma College’s land — from its pre-colonial inhabitants, to the Treaty of Saginaw, to land speculation and sale, and finally, to its use as the liberal arts college we see today. It has been very rewarding and interesting research.
- Explore how the past has molded the present. Check out history at Alma College by visiting alma.edu/academics/programs/history.
Q: Could you talk about your time at Alma as an education major and how it’s helped prepare you for your future career?
A: After college, I’m planning to be a social studies teacher in a secondary education class, and Alma has helped me prepare really well for that. Alma’s faculty help you get placed in a local classroom very early in your time with the program, so you can easily decide whether this is something you’re truly interested in pursuing before you graduate. All the teachers that I’ve gotten to learn under have been very influential in how I want to be as a teacher myself.
Q: What has your time in the Alma College Choirs been like?
A: Another thing that Alma does really well is allow you time you explore your interests outside of the classroom. For me, one of those big interests is choir. I think it’s great that I don’t necessarily have to be a music major in order to participate. Our director, Professor Nicole Mattfeld, is taking the choir in some exciting, new ways, while keeping faithful to our longtime traditions.
Q: What has it been like living on campus for you these past three years, in terms of the small, liberal arts college experience?
A: The residential experience at Alma is very interesting. I’ve spent three years in the residence halls and one year in a fraternity house, and each one of those experiences brought something new with it. The closeness of the student body is wonderful and I’ve really enjoyed my time. I’ve also really appreciated the close-knit relationships that I’ve had with faculty. Those relationships have allowed me to do some really exciting things here that I would not have expected coming out of high school.
Learn more about academics and life at Alma by visiting alma.edu.
