Image: Keira Hallauer (class of ’28) entered UGA already knowing her career interests, although she had no idea of the expansive choices available to her once enrolled. In high school, history was one of her favorite subjects, and she came to have a sense that she might want to go into academia for a career, so decided to pursue a discipline she was passionate about. She explained that, When I first accepted my admission to UGA, I didn’t think that I was going to choose to pursue an additional field of study with history as I thought it would be too time intensive. However, I found that many of the classes I was going to take in the Department of History, such as Japanese history with Dr. Yang and Chinese history with Dr. Levine, already counted for the Asian Languages and Literature (Japanese) major I ended up adding. I also didn’t know about the numerous certificate programs offered such as Museum Studies, Asian Studies, and Applied History, so finding out about these programs and the opportunities they offer was also a nice surprise. Hallauer’s majors, along with an International Affairs minor, Applied History certificate, and Asian Studies certificate, will go a long way helping her prepare for a future in academia and her ultimate goal to become a professor specializing in Japanese history. She praises both the history faculty and Franklin College advising staff for providing interesting classes and resources that have enabled her to excel. She explained that, “History is the key to my full program of study at UGA, both through its role as my primary major and its role in my ability to expand my knowledge into other areas such as comparative literature and international affairs, as for those areas a strong historical background is needed to excel.” In addition to her academics, Keira is taking full advantage of student leadership and engagement opportunities. She currently serves as an ambassador for the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, promoting the many programs she is involved in. As an ambassador she serves on the event planning committee. “I’m responsible for creating, budget, and leading events to promote student success and build a great community” she commented. During her time at UGA she has also served in leadership roles for the Honors Global Affairs and History Book Club, and as the Service Chair for the Franklin Residential College (FRC) where she helped create and coordinate opportunities for students to get involved in both on-campus community service organizations and those in the local Athens community, such as Nuci’s Space. Last March, Keira took advantage of UGA’s Connect Abroad program and traveled to Peru for a week, which she managed while taking Latin American History to 1800 with Dr. Chamosa. She described her experience as “amazing to see the historical sites and artifacts in museums and get hands-on experience with the living history.” Next step? She’s excited about UGA Exchange Program opportunities and intends to apply to attend Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan for a full academic year. As a member of the Japanese Conversation Club, her conversation practice will build her cultural knowledge and language skills to a greater fluency she can use in Tokyo, and in her future career.
