Natalie Stachowski, Class of 2003
BA in History from SUNY Geneseo and MA in in Political Science and Government from the University of Buffalo
As an
undergraduate, if anyone had ever told me I would be employed by the FBI as
intelligence analyst I would have laughed in their face and asked if they were
on some sort of illicit substance. Twelve years later, the joke is on me and
I’ve now been with the FBI for ten years. Time flies! How did someone with an
interest in history end up in this role? I credit the critical thinking skills
I acquired in my academic career, notably in my various classes with the
history department at SUNY Geneseo. I’ve worked on investigations related to
gangs, counter-terrorism, espionage and—while I certainly did not graduate with
any knowledge of these topics—I could always rely on my ability to conduct
in-depth research, ask questions, not take events at face value, and recognize
there are other perspectives than my own to analyze the situation at hand.
If I
were to offer any advice as students’ progress in their studies and look to
life beyond Geneseo, it would be this:
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions
- Don’t cite Wikipedia as a primary source;
- And don’t be afraid to embrace your interest in history.
Natalie also does some writing which can be found here: http://www.cant-talk.com/tag/nat/
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