Aidan Connors

Hometown:  Paxton, MA

Hobbies: Skiing, golf, tennis, fishing

Academic Awards: Eberly College Outstanding Senior, History Department Sallie Poole Wilkins Award, Maxwell Prize Senior Thesis

Current Position: Commercial Sales

Current Title: Business Development Associate within Gartner's Global Technology Sales Division

Q&A with Aidan

• What is your favorite place on campus?
  • My favorite place on campus would absolutely have to be the downtown campus library. I spent a lot of time each day at the library doing homework, studying for important exams, and reading for history classes! The library was such a nice place to be productive and also develop an eye for books and authors outside my comfort.
• What is your favorite class and why?
  • My favorite class at WVU had to have been History of England from 1600-1842 with Dr. Hodge. This class was very important in shaping my understanding of how the modern world really took shape and the origins of different traditions we take for granted today. In many ways this class also blended my love for philosophy and history into one, as Dr. Hodge was keen on describing the various intellectual currents such as the enlightenment which animated modernism. The one thing that has taught me the most during my time at WVU was the relationships I had with my mentors. Beyond talking about course content my mentors gave me important insight into not only what to think but how to think, how to solve problems, and how to formulate different outlooks on varying issues. One of the best qualities of WVU is its large size yet its small feel in terms of the passionate and dedicated faculty who are all willing to provide important insight and advice to many.
• Who helped you succeed?
  • I attribute a lot of my success in my career search during the final years of college to the WVU Career Services center. This is an amazing resource I think all WVU students should leverage throughout their journey at WVU, whether they are freshmen all the way to upperclassmen.
• What are your favorite things about being in this major?
  • The history major at WVU taught me how to search for answers to challenging questions. Having graduated and found work in the private sector, I learned firsthand the value of studying history. Not only do you nourish the quest for knowledge, you learn valuable hard skills such as database management, note taking, and technical writing, all of which play a critical role in any job one might find.
• Why did you want to pursue this major?
  • I wanted to pursue this major in the first place because I loved learning about the past and wanted to supplement my studies in my philosophy major. Little did I know I was setting myself up for true success in that I learned how to effectively communicate, critically think, and solve complex challenges from different perspectives.
• How have your professors and/or staff helped you be successful?
  • In the history department I had quite a number of faculty who were invested in my success. During one of my first classes in the major I was uncertain about my writing ability, especially my ability to use the active voice while communicating in essays. My professor Dr. Gorby was nice enough to look at draft after draft of my writing, and after implementing his advice I was able to craft a successful research paper and gain confidence in my writing style.
• What skills and/or knowledge have you gained that you feel will help you be successful in your future career?
  • There are many skills that I have learned in the history major that have added to my success upon graduation. One of the biggest skills I have used both during my academic journey and in the professional world is researching. From using databases and understanding databases, to crafting concise proposals, and presenting information in stakeholder meetings, research is arguably one of the most important skills one can obtain in their college journey. Research gives you a clear idea of the problems one needs to solve and how to craft a narrative given the information at hand.