Pete Szynski '08

Pete Szynski

Where are you currently located, and what are you up to?

I graduated from Fredonia in 2008 with a degree in History. I live in Jamestown, NY, where I have been living for three years. I currently work in the Human Services field, and am a Health Homes Care Coordinator for Family Health Medical. I am currently developing the Health Homes program for Family Health Medical, and hopefully in the future I will be a program manager, and in time a Director. I plan to attend graduate school part time at the University of Buffalo, where I plan to earn my Masters in Social Work (MSW).

How did Fredonia’s Department of History prepare you for your current work/future plans?

The History Department at Fredonia helped give me confidence in moving forward in my life and in my career. Studying history gave me a multifaceted view of human behavior and development. Although history is not recognized in the Human Services arena, I believe that it should be honored in this field as it has provided me with a distinct edge that not many others in my field have. To simplify what I believe history taught me is not an easy task, but I can say that it taught me about people, which in itself is a tremendous task. The History program at Fredonia instilled in me a great compassion and a better understanding for people from all walks of life, and because of this, I have been successful in the human services field. I was also given the opportunity to travel to Ukraine as part of my studies. This was a life changing experience and I leaned hands on about another culture. I have received multiple promotions in the field since graduation, and again, I believe studying history has helped me by giving me an advantage.

What advice do you have for incoming freshmen to our program?

I encourage all students that are in the field of history to be very open minded, to have empathy and understanding while studying in the field. I would encourage them to remember that they are studying people, and not simply events. I would also encourage them to study variousects of history, as they will learn something different in each field. And lastly, if the chance to study abroad is offered, they should absolutely take part in its program, as it will surely be a life changing experience!