Anne Wolff Lawson ‘97, Department Administrator, Italian Studies Department, New York University
I graduated with my BA in History in 1997. I learned so much in those four years – from everything learned in the DWC program (what a gift!) to American history with Dr. Manchester in my freshman year to senior year with Dr. O’Malley’s ever-popular Irish history course to Dr. McCaffrey’s erudite European history survey courses. I then worked for five years in nonprofits and became a bit restless with a thirst for more. I came back home to my PC family from 2002 to 2004 and studied Modern European History this time around. I had studied abroad in Florence, Italy as a junior and wanted to focus more in this area, but I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. I took Dr. McCaffrey’s Historical Methodology course, which in my opinion, should be required for all undergraduate and graduate students. I took an eye-opening elective on the Arab-Israeli conflict with Dr. Manchester, a classic course on the Progressive Era with Dr. DiNunzio, and one of my favorite courses of all time, La Belle Epoque with Dr. Grace and Dr. Dowling.
What did I learn? To study history is to seek truth. I was given the tools to inquire, the methods to evaluate and gather information, and the writing skills to integrate all of this information and share it with the world. These skills are so important right now because as a trained historian, I can decipher between fake news and real news. I have learned about economic and political patterns that tend to reappear when certain cyclical conditions are met in society. Most importantly, I learned about the importance of preserving and sharing cultural heritage in order to point out how similar we are to each other rather than dissimilar. What do I do presently? I work at New York University and manage its Department of Italian Studies, one of the best programs to study Italian in the United States. I again have a thirst for more history and am pursuing a certificate in Public History at NYU. I think it is important to follow your passion and do what you love. Follow your truth. I will forever be grateful to Providence College, the History Department, the Dominican Friars, and the love of lifelong learning that they have provided me.
