Becki Feinglos Planchard, B.A. 2011
City of Chicago, Office of the Mayor — Chicago, Illinois
2011 Major: History and Spanish; minor in Political Science
How has being a History graduate from Duke helped shape your professional success?
"My classes with Dr. Peter English really stand out learning about the history of healthcare and obesity in the US. They directly play into my work in education policy regularly, and I think of those classes OFTEN! And my women's history and racial history courses literally shape the way that I approach the world. I'm so grateful!"
What advice would you give students in History?
"Study all the things. Study whatever makes you passionate. If we don't understand where we're coming from as a society, we are missing out on making a bigger impact tomorrow. We'll be more efficient in policy-making, for example, when we can look to what has and has not been effective in the past. And take courses that really pique your interest-- the history of obesity was a course that I just thought would be interesting. I never would have guessed that almost 10 years later I would still be thinking about it."
