Dr. Abraham Gibson is a 2008 graduate of the History MA program at Virginia Tech. We reached out to him recently to see what he has been up to.
Q: After graduating from Virginia Tech’s M.A. program, what did you do?
A: After graduating from Virginia Tech in 2008, I entered the doctoral program at Florida State University. I earned a Ph.D. in History in 2013.
Q: How did your experience at Virginia Tech impact your career after graduate school?
A: My graduate training at Virginia Tech provided me with a rigorous, intimate, and altogether invaluable introduction to the historical profession. Working with world-class professors, I learned what it means and what it takes to be a successful historian, and the experience ultimately convinced me to pursue advanced training.
Q: What advice would you give current or future students wanting to pursue a path similar to yours?
A: Be mindful of recent trends in the historical profession. Take stock of the challenges you will face and then follow your heart.
Q: What has been a major challenge you have encountered in your career? How have you dealt with it?
A: I confess that I have sometimes struggled with impatience. Historians are a famously deliberate bunch, and professional recognitions like graduations, publications, and promotions are far too infrequent for my taste. I deal with my impatience by telling people that I do yoga.
Q: What are your plans from here?
A: I am lucky that I get to teach for a living, and I’ll continue to ply my trade as long as I can.
Virginia Tech History Master's Program 