Nathan Knutson graduated from UW- Green Bay in May of 2021 with a major in history, and a minor in education. Through his minor, Nathan also became a licensed social studies teacher. Currently, Nathan is in his first year as a Master of Divinity (MDiv) student at Harvard Divinity School.
Why did you decide to major in History and minor in Education? I majored in history because of my passion for the subject. I have always loved the study of the past and the ways it helps people to form their outlook on the present, not to mention the future. I also found the natural story-telling aspects of history to be very engaging and applicable to a number of academic and personal interests. When I started at UWGB I was also planning on going into formal teaching, so history was a great fit with my minor in education. The combination of history and education allowed me to learn about the teaching profession which is a very rewarding field that also helped me to discern where I wanted to go after graduating with my bachelor’s degree.
What academic experience or accomplishment are you most proud of? I would have to say my honors in the major project was the most rewarding. I worked with Dr. Voelker to explore my interest in the local environmental history of northeast Wisconsin parks during my senior year. It was a great feeling to create your own course of study and to really dive into topics that are personally meaningful. It was also a great feeling at the end of the project to look back at the hard work that was done and see the end results.
What is an important goal or accomplishment you are currently working on? There is a lot that I want to accomplish while in divinity school but the most apparent one right now is just making it through my first semester of grad school with my sanity intact!
What do you do for fun? I just moved to the Boston area to attend school, so I am enjoying riding my bike around to get more familiar with the area and find the great coffee shops. I also enjoy writing poetry, reading novels, and watching movies.
What else do you want people to know about you? In addition to my academics, I like to try out new artistic hobbies like painting and creative writing because I think it is incredibly important to engage with your creativity in different ways, something which I would encourage other people to try out even if it does not result in anything good. I’ll be the first to admit that my art is pretty bad but it has been a great thing to do nonetheless because I get to discover new things about myself and the world around me.
