Reflection

What did you enjoy about this project?

I enjoyed getting to learn more about Trinity's history and having the opportunity to speak with Mr. Gerhardt about his accomplishments. It was a blast learning about his life and connecting with someone who went to Trinity 30 years ago. He talked about going to Mabee Dining Hall in our interview and it hit me that I'm currently attending the same university that he did, as well as the thousands of others before us.

What surprised you about this project?

It surprised me at how available a lot of the information was. The Trinitonian, Mirage, and SA Express News helped me form a narrative very early on and my interview with Mr. Gerhardt helped me fill out a lot of the supporting details. Stories that he discussed in our interview, I would look up and find sources to back up what he told me and there were not a lot of holes to fill in. A lot of his career was accessible to me with the resources we had available to us.

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

The most challenging aspect of the project was putting it all to paper. As someone who enjoys video projects, it would have been a lot more enticing to piece together a video essay and discuss/show the story rather than write it. I would get bogged down with writing and reread a lot of my paper, then realize it does not make sense or I worded things weirdly. I took breaks and would come back to my essay and have my brother read it, as well as my peers, to give me outside perspectives.

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

I would get started sooner than I did. I did not contact Mr. Gerhardt until close to the end of the semester because I did not know the best way to get in touch with any of our alumni. It felt bothersome to come out and say "You don't know who I am, but I'm writing a paper about you... would you be willing to discuss things with me?" At the same time, it was a project that needed to get done and I should have started on the final paper sooner than the last month of classes.

What did you learn about history and/or the historical process through this project?

I learned that it's important to check multiple sources as some false report can easily be interpreted as what actually happened. For example, the SA Express News reported that Mr. Gerhardt's father played for Rice University *after* he played in the Olympics but Mr. Gerhardt, his father's Olympic bio, and Rice's webpage said otherwise. It was an easy mistake to just pass on as truth, but in checking multiple sources, it gave more credibility to my work and made it more likely to be accurate.

What did you learn through this project that can be applied to life outside the classroom?

I learned that people are willing to help if you're willing to ask for it. Dr. Morais, Anne Graf, Mr. Gerhardt, my peers, and my brother were all able to help me make this project happen because I asked for their help. I am usually the type to just try to do things on my own, but in this project I needed assistance and everyone I asked was more than willing to help me out. It was a great life lesson and something I can hopefully build on for my future endeavors.