鈥淐uriosity鈥� and 鈥渋nitiative鈥� are apt descriptions of our alumna, Grace Conroy. Before graduating in 2022 as a history major with an emphasis in Classical and European History, Conroy made the most of her time at UH, embracing opportunities to deepen her knowledge, broaden her perspective, and develop skills that would serve her well beyond graduation.
For example, Conroy was deeply involved in public history research as an undergraduate, guided by her mentor, Dr. Debbie Harwell (Instructional Associate Professor). As a 2021 recipient of a Provost鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Scholarship through the UH Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards, Conroy prepared oral histories for (a project through the Center for Public History). In 2022, Conroy published her historical research article, in Houston History magazine. It came as no surprise when Conroy was a 2022 winner of the Department of History鈥檚 Outstanding Achievement in History award, an honor given to the strongest graduating seniors in the major.
After graduation, Conroy continued to contribute to UH projects while also completing a master鈥檚 degree in public/applied history at American University in Washington D.C. She conducted oral history interviews with UH medical students, which contributed to her co-authored article, in Houston History magazine. Conroy also played a role in the 100 Years of Stories: Documenting a Century at the 91视频 initiative and exhibit in celebration of the UH centennial and took part in a panel celebration at a 2023 magazine launch event.
Conroy brought her skills honed at UH to her work in Washington D.C. She held an education fellowship with the , where she conducted archival research, wrote interpretive content and resources for public audiences, and led museum tours and educational encounters. Conroy also worked as an editorial intern for the . Her responsibilities included historical and rights research, fact-checking, proofreading manuscripts and typeset pages, organizing arts logs for illustrated books, creating content and metadata for the Publishing Office鈥檚 website, and pulling together material for knowledge cards, calendars, and even jigsaw puzzles.
Conroy currently lives in Austin, Texas, and works as a civil litigation paralegal at a medical malpractice defense law firm. She credits her history degrees with teaching her to think analytically and see events from different perspectives: 鈥淚 find I鈥檓 always questioning things and trying to learn as much as I can.鈥� At the office, Conroy finds striking similarities between the pleadings and motions attorneys write and the arguments made by historians: 鈥淭he language of law reminds me a lot of the language of history. Every argument has to be backed by evidence.鈥� Conroy also appreciates how her history training helped her understand and use Chicago-style citations, as it made it 鈥渆asy鈥� for her to transition to the Bluebook citations required for legal work.
Conroy looks back fondly on her time at UH: 鈥淢ost of my history classes stand out to me due to the incredible professors. Professors Neumann, Patterson, and Harwell were all excellent lecturers who genuinely cared about their students.鈥� She advises all current and prospective students to get to know their professors: 鈥淓very professor I had at UH wanted me to excel and provided every opportunity for me to do so. Working with my professors when I was writing arguments helped inspire ideas I wouldn鈥檛 have come up with on my own.鈥�
Most importantly, Conroy recommends embracing the university experience and all it can offer: 鈥淐ollege is the chance to take classes simply because you鈥檙e interested in learning about something.鈥�
We are inspired by you, Grace!