As one of TCNJ’s dynamic duos, juniors Samuel “Sammy” John and Ryan Perrone have together found a profound passion for history. From becoming inspired by high school history teachers to becoming research partners, Sammy and Ryan have created true paths of success.
Sammy is a history major with a minor in anthropology, who claims to have “TCNJ blood flowing through [his] veins,” as his sister also went to The College. He is involved in the New Jersey Christian Fellowship and also works in the library. Ryan is a history secondary education major who is a peer mentor for the history department and works as a tutor in the Tutoring Center. Their paths crossed as they both decided to complete an honors thesis in history, and they have been working alongside one another ever since.
When asked what it was that led them to choose history as their major, both have a similar experience: an influential teacher from their past. Sammy’s 10th grade teacher drew him into the subject. While he initially started as a history education major, he decided to lean fully into history due to the multitude of research opportunities within the program. He says participating in research “has been such an awesome opportunity. It’s definitely one of the perks of being a TCNJ because we have such a good student to faculty ratio. Your professors really get to know you, and if you do have a research project or an idea, chances are if you bring it to your professors that they might consider it and take it on and let you do research with them.”
Similarly, Ryan was inspired by one of his high school history teachers. He remembers always staying after class to chat and engage deeper with content discussed in class. As a future teacher, Ryan says, “I wanted to be able to give that same thing to other people. I also think history is a very important field for understanding who we are as a society.”
Reflecting on highlights within their program that sparked their passion for history, both Sammy and Ryan point to class with Dr. Robert McGreevey. In one of TCNJ’s signature courses, “The Craft of History,” students are assigned to write a fifteen page historiography paper. “In the beginning of the class, when you hear as a freshman that you have to write 15 pages, it’s super daunting and you feel like you just can’t do it,” says Sammy. However, he decided to engage in a historiography on Jewish resistance to the Holocaust, which he identifies as his first taste of historical analysis. This assignment “opened [his] mind and [his] heart to really learn to love” the history major. Sammy explains that “As historians, or as history majors, we get to make sense of the world as we see it, or as the documents tell us. This theoretical work helped me to formulate my own argument and defend it. As history majors, we get to do so much analytical work and see the world in such a different light that most people might not get to see all the time.”
Ryan says that one of the best aspects of class Dr. McGreevey was the small class size. Emphasizing the benefits of being in such a small class, Ryan explains that “The class was small enough that we were able to all participate in an oral history in collaboration with the William Trent House because they were working on an exhibit on the Great Migration and how that has contributed to Trenton’s growth. Through this, I had the opportunity to meet with people and conduct interviews with them to do an oral history. It’s an experience that as a historian is something so fundamental to what you’re going to do in your career.”
The honors thesis is a challenging yet rewarding experience for history majors at TCNJ. Students are invited by faculty to participate in the thesis, which Sammy expresses gratitude for: “Something about TCNJ that I think is really special is that professors truly believe in their students. If they notice that you’re doing good work, they’re going to make sure that you get an opportunity to build on those skills or those talents.” Ryan adds, “Because I am at TCNJ, I knew I had the opportunity to really form a bond with my professors. I knew I could count on Dr. McGreevey to help me find more opportunities to expand on what we worked on in class. I also had encouragement from other professors, like Dr. Chakraborty, who recommended that I undertake my topic for the thesis.”
“I would like to stress just how much of a privilege it has been to be able to undertake this honors thesis,” says Ryan. “We get to produce really pretty substantial work. We also get to engage very heavily with the prominent historians in our field and really work with what they’re saying, and even find ways to challenge what they’re saying. It’s definitely building our ability to think critically about what we’re reading, which is such a valuable skill.”
On top of that, Sammy says the honors thesis is “a project that I’ve had the privilege of working on over the last three years, I think it’s definitely grown my confidence in myself as a historian. It is such an amazing opportunity that TCNJ gives you: being able to write a high level historical work, working with people from all over the place, it’s great.”
As both Sammy and Ryan are working on similar topics, they have had the opportunity to be research partners. Sammy says that “to have someone that’s working very closely with my topic is really great, especially when it comes to like looking at sources that might be helpful to each other. It makes the process a lot easier, a lot more bearable, and a lot more enjoyable.” Ryan affirms that “because there’s a lot of overlap in [their] topics, having someone to help you along with the research is really motivating and it makes it much easier.”
Reflecting on their favorite experiences at TCNJ, both Sammy and Ryan emphasize the community. Sammy says, “I’ve built so many friendships, even outside of just academia. TCNJ offers a really unique ability to help you build bonds like that.” Ryan adds, “Getting involved with a lot of extracurricular activities, including clubs, has been great. I’ve gotten to know a lot of new people through that.”
When asked what advice they had to students just starting out at TCNJ, Sammy declares, “Don’t be afraid! Looking back to my freshman year, I did not think that I would be where I am today. I’m super grateful for the steps, the moments, the people that have brought me to where I am today. Bet on yourself, you’re here at a great college. You have four years to get to do research or build community, build friendships, find your group of people, your game.” On top of that, Ryan offers, “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and take some risks. If you put yourself out there at TCNJ, you will find that professor or that group of people who are really going to shape where you’re going and it’s going to work out for you. And as a tutor, I would add–don’t be afraid to make use of the resources that the college gives you.”
As Sammy and Ryan begin to think about their future careers, it is certain that they are going to find success wherever they go. Sammy plans to head on to graduate school, stating, “I would be super privileged and super grateful if I could just continue doing what I’m doing, get to work as a historian and do this amazing work that I get to do by telling these untold stories.” Ryan is interested in the field of education, and after having so many teachers make an impact on his life, he expresses, “I really want to be able to give back. I want to be an inspiration for people. Now that I’ve had a chance to really work in the field of history, I think going to graduate school and pursuing a job as a professor in the future is something that I would be interested in.”
– Talia Verrecchio ’23, ’24