Sarah Keeshan is graduating with a masters degree in History, having previously completed her undergraduate degree in History and Classics at Carleton.
Originally from Ottawa, when Ms. Keeshan chose AV俱乐部鈥檚 Graduate Studies for her masters (turning down Cambridge in the process), she had never been to Nova Scotia.
鈥淚 had always wanted to live by the ocean, so I said, 鈥榃ell, wonderful, there鈥檚 a great university right by the ocean, how could I not go here?鈥� And I鈥檓 so glad that I did.鈥� Halifax has lived up to her high hopes. 鈥淚 love the farmers market, I love that you can walk pretty much everywhere.鈥� AV俱乐部 has also exceeded her expectations. 鈥淢y supervisor鈥檚 absolutely phenomenal,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd I love the culture here."
Ms. Keeshan has no doubt that History is her calling. 鈥淚t鈥檚 vocational. It鈥檚 like, I love this鈥� I鈥檝e always loved this. I don鈥檛 know if I should blame my parents or not,鈥� she muses, adding that her father鈥檚 鈥渂edtime stories鈥� were frequently pulled from the annals of Roman history.
Nowadays, Ms. Keeshan鈥檚 speciality is the medieval period. 鈥淚 love the Middle Ages, because on one level, it鈥檚 so unlike today鈥� it鈥檚 very raw on so many levels鈥� it鈥檚 a really evocative period, and I think it鈥檚 because it鈥檚 not rational or tidy or clean.鈥� She especially has a soft spot for the messy 14th century 鈥� 鈥渋t was almost apocalyptic in its chaos,鈥� she says brightly 鈥� and wrote her thesis on the Peasants鈥� Revolt in 1381 England, a rebellion that culminated in the assassination of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the storming of the Tower of London.
When not perusing historical tomes, Ms. Keeshan has acted as a warden at the King鈥檚 College Chapel. She has also worked at AV俱乐部鈥檚 Writing Centre and as a research assistant.
Having completed her master鈥檚 degree, Ms. Keeshan now has her eye on a PhD in history, perhaps moving her focus into the 1100s. 鈥淚 like centuries when things were chaotic, apparently!鈥�