In order to break up the trip into a more reasonable pace heading home, we decided to spend a bit of time at both Notre Dame and Oberlin. Whenever we return to visit our colleges, I know that I am recharged by recalling the first real history scholarship that I conducted. I think of my most inspiring professor, Geoffrey Blodgett, who has sadly passed away and a younger History professor who is still there, Gary Kornblith, who helped me conduct some fascinating statistic driven research from the colonial America. I hope that there are students who look back at their experience in the MKA History Department research program with similar fondness. While we ask our students to do a great deal, especially as they are balancing a host of other demands both in and outside of the classroom...the rewards pay dividends in countless and unexpected ways for decades.
As the trip is winding down, I'm thinking about how to synthesize all that I've gotten from this incredible opportunity. That may be a bigger challenge than even the Junior Thesis!
This is a blog that will help share our trip with those who may be interested and will serve as an archive for Team Branigan....50 states or bust!!
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