Sergeant Marcus Jackson (History ’10), Sherketta Carter (History ’11 and LEST ’14), Marshall Odell (History ’15) and Kaya Abukasis (History ’18) were welcomed back to UB by students, faculty, and Dean Spencer on Wednesday to talk about their professional paths following graduation. Students in Dr. Nix’s “Historian’s Toolkit” (HIST 295) class enjoyed getting to know these terrific alumni over pizza, and asking lots of their own questions.
Jackson developed his career with the Army National Guard after graduation, and he told students that the reading, writing, and research skills he acquired in the history program applied directly to his work as a human resources manager in the Maryland Guard. Reading critically, he said, and learning lessons from leaders in the past, helps him develop his own leadership skills. Since graduating from UB, Jackson has also gotten married and now has two adorable daughters.
Carter graduated from two UB programs, History (B.A.) and Legal and Ethical Studies (M.A.). She parleyed her legal history knowledge and networking skills into a satisfying career as a legal assistant. For her, internships helped her make the transition from a student to legal professional. She works for the City of Baltimore Law Department – and no law school degree was required!
Odell came to the UB History program after an early career in banking and finance. After graduating in 2015 with experience working at our Langsdale Library, he got a job as a librarian at the U.S. Naval Academy Library in Annapolis. Odell works with artifacts of military history in the library, as well as budget issues.
The panel was also joined by Kaya Abukasis, who began UB Law School directly after her graduation in the History program this year. She is still acclimating to the massive reading demands in 1-L, but assured students that the source analysis and writing assignments she completed in the History program prepared her well for the LSAT and the workload in law school. In her copious spare time, she is also working on her mother’s Congressional election campaign in Pennsylvania.
A history degree opens up all sorts of careers to college graduates. Aside from our guests today, UB students will remember that our university president and college dean were both history majors in college.