It is a particular concern for Meehan, who hopes to teach history herself one day. "My goal is to be a professor at a small liberal arts college much like R-MWC," she says. "I'd also like to follow in the footsteps of my R-MWC professors in being so involved in the life of the College—and part of the fabric of the community. Larger institutions may have extensive resources for their students, but personally, I'd prefer not to be one of those professors you see simply dashing in and out of the lecture hall."
Meehan would like to teach in either her home state of Louisiana or in Virginia.
As she prepares to select a topic for her dissertation, Meehan says she's especially interested in the post-World War II history of the Balkans and the former Yugoslavia. Specifically, she would like to ascertain if Yugoslavia ever had a true national character, and to what extent the government used its thriving tourism industry as a means of shaping Yugoslavia's public identity. She eventually plans to do field research on these topics.
Meehan, who as a child dreamt of becoming a ballerina, has always been active in dance. She took a double dance and history major at R-MWC, and she recalls her dance courses with pleasure. "When I'm dancing now," she says, "I try to recapture what I felt in college. The R-MWC dance community was so vibrant, and it was always striving for the next best thing." Meehan has continued to study dance—ballet and modern—at the University of Illinois, and to perform. "When I'm in the studio and moving, I feel much more alive," she says. "It's great stress relief, and just plain fun."
Her other love is writing. "It's extremely stimulating to write for my courses, and it's probably my favorite activity at school," Meehan says. "Some of my history colleagues still seem to struggle with it, but luckily I had a lot of writing experience at R-MWC. It made me feel confident—and introduced me to the joys of getting my thoughts down on paper."
- From Alumnae Profiles , Randolph College. |
