Reflection

What did you enjoy about this project?

I enjoyed this project because I was able to research about a topic that relates to Trinity, which has made such a large impact on my life. I chose to research Paul McGinlay after meeting him when I went on the Sport in London study abroad in December 2015. I liked going to the archives and looking through old articles and photos because I found items relating to my project as well as other Trinity history that I probably would have never seen if it was not for this project.

What surprised you about this project?

I did not realize how great the resources Trinity has to offer really were. The Archives and Special Collections are extremely useful and I wish I had the opportunity to use these more for other classes. I also never knew how involved Coach McGinlay was in Admissions at Trinity, so that was something that surprised me relating directly to my research.

What was the most challenging aspect of the project, and how did you manage it?

The most challenging part of my project was first finding a time to interview Coach McGinlay, but then making sure I had enough information to put my story together. Before my interview with Coach McGinlay I made sure to have a list of questions that I thought would be the information I needed for my research. Those questions were a solid ground, but once I started talking with him I realized there was so much more that I did not even consider like the recruitment of international players for example. So after my interview with Coach, I felt like I had a much better grasp on the direction I was heading.

If you could start over, what would you do differently?

I do not really have any complaints about my progress or the way my project went, but if I had to pick one thing I would change it would be interviewing Coach McGinlay right away. I think if i had interviewed him first I would had more time to interview more players of his, which would have given a better insight into my research from the player side.

What did you learn about history and/or the historical process through this project? What did you learn through this project that can be applied to life outside the classroom? 

I learned that there are so many resources available and they should be utilized. I really liked the fact that this project specifically related to Trinity because I felt like I had a better understanding and connection on how to research and people I could reach out to. So I thought this was a good start to help me understand how historical research works and now I have learned a process that I could apply to a broader topic outside of Trinity. I think this project also helped me open my eyes more to the details that go into everything and appreciate historical significance of people, places, and events rather then sometimes overlooking them.