April Hughes

15 November 2007

Personal Statement

Growing up in the rural town of Meldrim, Georgia was a blessing for me. I learned the value of

family and was sheltered by a small community of relatives and friends. I became a level-headed

hardworking young woman, but I always felt a bit different. I wondered what was beyond the

four-way stop at the end of the road, or the railroad track at the other end of town. I wondered

how those other people thousands of miles away spoke, acted, worked, and played.

With such a variety of specializations within the Early American focus at the University of

Georgia, my interests can easily be implemented and cultivated within the graduate program.

Although I am applying for admission into the Master of Arts graduate program, I wish to

continue my education and end with the competition of a PhD in the field.

I understand that historians shape the past for the present generation, and their interpretations

make an impact on a societal level.

I have worked diligently at Georgia Southern University, and have graduated in three years,

studied abroad twice, and have managed to maintain a perfect grade point average. If accepted, I

know that much will be required of me as a graduate student, but the standards at University of
Georgia, are not lower than the standards of excellence that I strive for myself in all my

endeavors.

As an entering freshman, I dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher. While this

seemed to be a great goal in theory, when put to practice, during my observation classes, I

realized that I desired to reach a more mature audience who would challenge me intellectually.

As a sophomore I chose to transfer my major to secondary education with a minor in history. I

just knew that this program would perfect for me, however, as I began my upper-level history

requirements, I felt that once again a change of major would be in due form. I enjoyed the

challenge of each upper level history and I had a thirst for knowledge like nothing I had

experienced before. As a collegiate professor I will have the ability to reach others through

teaching students, as well as publishing research in the fields of history that I am most passionate

about.

History is one of my life’s passions and I could ask for nothing more than to spend the rest of my

life trying to instill this same passion for history into the lives of the students I teach. For me

history is not just a set of dates and names to memorize, it is real life and therefore full of

mystery, scandal, and controversy.

During my studies at Georgia Southern University I have gravitated towards Trans-Atlantic

relationships during the early modern era. I am interested in 18th Colonial American cultural

history, with specific interest in religion and gender. I am particularly interested in the emergence

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of denominationalism in America during the colonial era and the socio-political effects of these

occurrences.

If accepted into the graduate program at the University of Georgia, there are several faculty

members which I would greatly benefit from their mentorship. Working with Dr. Michael P.

Winship