Emma Young
B.A. in History, '03
"My love of history began with the movies. When I first saw Indiana Jones swashbuckling his way through ‘extreme archeology’, I was hooked. Likewise, majoring in history just seemed like the logical choice after growing up in the historically rich area of Adams County, PA.
"In particular, Penn State offered the flexibility to tailor the history major to my own interests. The wide variety of classes, such as Dr. Atwill’s Modern Eastern Asia (one of my favorites), allowed me to gain a general knowledge of history from various parts of the world. In turn, I was free to pursue any specific path that I chose.
"It was through Dr. McMurry’s History 302W class that I realized there was a profession seemingly tailored just for me. Through historic preservation, I could combine my love of history, particularly historic architecture, with my passion for protecting and preserving, at the very least, a written memory of a particular building or landscape. I feel that my history degree from Penn State provided me with the solid foundation upon which to build a successful professional career. Thus, since graduating from Penn State in May 2003, I received my MA in Historic Preservation, and as of August 2005, I am gainfully and happily employed as an architectural historian for A.D. Marble & Company, a Pennsylvania-based, environmental and cultural resource management firm."