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 ±«Óătvâs Graduate Studies for her masters (turning down Cambridge in the process), she had never been to Nova Scotia.
âI had always wanted to live by the ocean, so I said, âWell, wonderful, thereâs a great university right by the ocean, how could I not go here?â And Iâm so glad that I did.â Halifax has lived up to her high hopes. âI love the farmers market, I love that you can walk pretty much everywhere.â ±«Óătv has also exceeded her expectations. âMy supervisorâs absolutely phenomenal,â she says, âand I love the culture here."
Ms. Keeshan has no doubt that History is her calling. âItâs vocational. Itâs like, I love this⊠Iâve always loved this. I donât know if I should blame my parents or not,â she muses, adding that her fatherâs âbedtime storiesâ were frequently pulled from the annals of Roman history.
Nowadays, Ms. Keeshanâs speciality is the medieval period. âI love the Middle Ages, because on one level, itâs so unlike today⊠itâs very raw on so many levels⊠itâs a really evocative period, and I think itâs because itâs not rational or tidy or clean.â She especially has a soft spot for the messy 14th century â âit was almost apocalyptic in its chaos,â she says brightly â and wrote her thesis on the Peasantsâ 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 Kingâs College Chapel. She has also worked at ±«Óătvâs Writing Centre and as a research assistant.
Having completed her masterâs degree, Ms. Keeshan now has her eye on a PhD in history, perhaps moving her focus into the 1100s. âI like centuries when things were chaotic, apparently!â