On Friday 11 September tertiary history students visited the Victorian State Archives for a special event showcasing the wide-ranging careers that are possible following tertiary history studies. Panelists from organisations such as the Shrine of Rememberance, The Conversation, and the History Teachers’ Association of Victoria had a blast talking to tertiary history students about the various career paths and trajectories they have taken since their own studies.

The organisation of the event was led by HCV intern Rosina Virgona, herself a third-year history students at Australian Catholic University. Rosina was selected for the History Council of Victoria’s internship program, now in its second year. Convening the careers panel has been a wonderful way for interns to leverage their connections with University students to find out what sorts of careers history students are interested in—and bring to them a panel representing rich futures in education, museums, public culture and the humanities. 

“I had the chance to meet people across all different careers, both in history and connected to it, and they volunteered their time to speak to us students about their pathways into their careers. They were people who are so inspiring, and it was fantastic to hear what they had to say about their connection to history,” said Rosina. 

Students were also lucky enough to recieve a guided tour through the depths of the Victorian State Archives and meet professionals working in collections and archives, with Senior Analyst in Collections Management Sebastian Gurciullo leading a tour through PROV’s extensive collections and explaining the ins and outs of preserving and organising our state records.

Thank you to wonderful panelists Stephanie Holt (HCV Executive Officer and freelance editor), Noor Gillani (Editor, Arts & Culture, The Conversation Australia + NZ), Michelle Fracaro (Programs & Professional Development Manager at AMaGA Victoria), Barbara Minchinton (Historian and independent researcher), Helen Penrose (Senior Historian, HistorySmiths), Alana Ryan (History Teacher and President, History Teachers’ Association of Victoria), and Tanya Gordon (Manager, Education and Consultantancy, History Teachers’ Association of Victoria) for sharing your stories, to our HCV intern Rosina Virgona for organising the event & of course to our partner Public Record Office Victoria for hosting.