Hello! I am Brianne Szymanski, a History major and Dance minor set to graduate from The Ohio State University in December 2016.
My admiration for history was instilled at a young age. I grew up spending my weekends at our local American Legion Post, helping with their fundraisers and learning from the snarky quips of World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans. The influence of these men and women on my life is immeasurable. They have led me to not only better understand the past, but also how it impacts our lives today.
I can hardly wait to travel abroad. The experiences this May will be very new to me, and I am looking forward to learning with an equally interested group of peers, growing with them as we experience new, venturesome, and amazing things. These experiences will provide a tangible sense of what history means, connecting me to the past in ways that I previously have never been.
To the veterans that have been so formational to my life, these places mean something entirely different than they ever could to me. I know that this program will shape my perspectives of WWII and the world beyond it, and for that, I am very grateful.