Interview with Holly Benison '21 - Bishop's University

What did you study at Bishop’s and what are you studying now?

Holly: I graduated in the summer of 2021 with an Honours in History and a Double Minor in French as a Second Language and Music. I am currently doing my post-grad in Museum Management.

Any fun courses you remember taking at BU?

I digitized documents for the Timor Solidarity Archives. I was able to work at my own pace and the excellent experience prepared me for my graduate program.

Holly: The knowledge I learned in the History program at Bishop’s has been helpful in my current program because the courses prepared me well. I took an Archival Internship with Professor David Webster where I digitized documents for the Timor Solidarity Archives. I really enjoyed doing that because the work was self-directed and I had great mentorship. I was able to work at my own pace and the excellent experience also prepared me for my graduate program.

What are some fun projects you remember from your courses?

Holly: I did an interesting project for Dr. Manore’s History of the Night. Our research topic was on entertainment and we made a poster about how entertainment changed through various centuries. We then held a conference where every group presented their project.

I also did two film projects for Dr. Barker. The first one focused on female soldiers during the American Civil War. The second documentary was about how Canadians and African-Canadian fugitive slaves enlisted in the American Civil War. I was really glad that I was able to have an opportunity to do a more creative project instead of just another essay.

It was a great way to demonstrate to my professors that creative ways of approaching history are valid and educational.

Holly: We had costumes and went to various locations around Bishop’s to film. It was a great opportunity to hang out with my friends and get them involved and it was a great way to demonstrate to my professors that creative ways of approaching history are valid and educational. It took four months to get everything together but it was worth it in the end.

Documentary: The Other Side of Liberty

Documentary: Dear Alias

What opportunities has the History program offered you during your time here?

Holly: In 2019 I had received funding from the B.E.S.T. Project Fund to work independently with Professor Gordon Barker as my mentor. I did a huge research project on Living History and Public Memory of the American Civil War. I created a week’s worth of clothing and spent a week in Tennessee doing.

Also, instructor Emily Gann ’08 liked my work and research that I did in her course on Museums and Communities so she hired me over the summer to be a contract researcher at Ingenium in Ottawa. It was an amazing opportunity and I am proud of my research.

Why was History at BU the best choice for you?

I’ve had great opportunities to pursue individual research and academic freedom.

Holly: I liked being able to have conversations and feel like an individual. I loved having my ideas and research respected by my professors and peers. I felt heard. I’ve had great opportunities to pursue individual research and academic freedom. I wouldn’t have been able to have those connections had I gone to a bigger university.

Why should someone come to BU?

At BU all the doors are open.

Holly: The professors want you to succeed. Everybody has the chance to get opportunities because it is a small program. I never felt like I had to compete with my classmates. At BU all the doors are open.

What do you hope to achieve in the future with this History degree?

A lot of people think that history is a very narrow field. That is not true at all!

Holly: A lot of people think that history is a very narrow field. That is not true at all! I’m really eager to pursue a career in museums. Thankfully, there’s so much you can do within museums: exhibit designs, education in public programming, and even less history-based stuff like administration and management. Being able to talk to members of the public and designing workshops, tours, or ways to think critically about your own history and be radical about your interpretations. Having those human to human conversations and being able to talk about difficult things through museums is what I’m looking forward to.

What advice do would you give to someone who is uncertain about pursuing History at Bishop’s?

There is something interesting in history for everybody; it’s just a matter of finding it. You’d be surprised at the doors that history can open for future careers.