"My senior thesis was valuable in more ways than I can readily name. It trained me to research and write competently about history, and the sense of accomplishment is huge, but the process of researching another time period also enabled me to better understand myself, my family, and my own beliefs."
- Leslie Brown, '12
Roberts graduated from PHC in 2012 with a major in history.
Dr. Robert Spinney and associate professor of history Dr. Doug Favelo enjoyed her 100-page senior thesis (about an African-American minister in the 1840s) so much that they use the thesis as an example of an ideal thesis for other history majors. Roberts also helped Spinney redesign several of his courses. “She may have been the best history student I have had,” Spinney said.
In 2018, Roberts taught United States History II at Patrick Henry College during the spring semester of 2018 while Dr. Spinney took a sabbatical.
Keenan, who graduated from PHC in 2019, shared how the skills he learned from his history degree have enabled him to excel at his job. "The lessons I learned planning and executing work on my thesis prepared me well for the workplace...History majors learn to ask how and why something happened, and to answer those problems with their own research and arguments."
Now working as a construction estimator, Keenan said his history degree has improved his ability to witness to others. "History classes, especially Historiography and US Intellectual History, allowed me to better understand how people think and how to speak to someone working under a different paradigm," he said. "My time at PHC deepened my Biblical worldview and equipped me to share it with others more effectively."
Borders, who graduated in 2022, said that both the core and major history classes showed her how much she didn't know, awakened her curiosity and wonder about history, and gave her the skills to learn more.
"Studying history at PHC helped me understand why our history is so important--it's not just for the sake of avoiding already made mistakes, but for pursuing virtue," Borders said. "Most importantly, I now love history not only for how it teaches me how to live well, but also how it teaches me about the character of God."
