Archival Studies Program Entry Essay

I am applying to the Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies program at Louisiana State University because I know the program will be the key that opens the door for me to step into a more challenging career involving the preservation and collection of important historical documents and artifacts.

For the past three years, I have dedicated myself to the education of high school and college students. I teach high school social studies at Downsville Community Charter School, which is a small rural school located in North Louisiana. When I arrived for my first year at Downsville, I was greeted with a complete lack of interest in the subject from the students and overwhelming expectations for their state testing scores. Though I have often had to contend with their cell phones, other classes, and the occasional bout of teenage rebellion, I was able to double the school’s End of Course (EOC) test score by the end

I focus on document-based learning. A student being able to use historical documents to answer questions increases reasoning skills. They have often found it easier to understand historical concepts if they are the ones conducting the research. My students are becoming more involved in their modes of education.

I enjoy teaching, but a vast majority of my day is spent handling issues outside my domain of education. Copies of unsigned behavior reports, the increasingly tedious student accommodation requirements, and the overwhelming emphasis on standardized testing has pushed me to rethink my career path. I knew I wanted to remain in a history-related field, but I needed to explore options outside of teaching in a school setting. It only took a trip to the ‘Special Collections’ department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe to discover I wanted to learn how to preserve and study archival