It’s no doubt a history degree can take you far- whether it’s far in your career or physically far from home.
One history alum has had his degree take him far across the world and to a career that has helped thousands of people worldwide.
Right after alum Patrick Adler graduated in 2005, he was hopping country to country drawing on both technical skills and humanities skills to make a difference. He joined the Peace Corps as a water and sanitation volunteer and lived in Honduras. After a brief return to Phoenix and a position at a construction company, Adler accepted a position with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders, where he traveled around Africa working in an HIV/Tuberculosis clinic in Kenya, refugee health centers in Ethiopia, and with Ebola victims n Liberia.
“I am always a part of world affairs through my work and history ties in so well with that context,” he said. “It helps to understand the human side of conflicts.”
Adler always had an interest in history, but a real “a-ha moment” for him was his internship with the Arizona Historical Museum in Tempe, where he was a docent. It was a requirement for his major but it left a lasting impression on him.
“I learned that I enjoy helping out a cause bigger than myself,” Adler said.
All of his positions have utilized technical skills learned from early jobs at The Home Depot and in construction, but it’s humanities lessons he learned through his history degree that have helped him make an impact in countries all over the world.
“I think my War and Revolution track in my history degree gave me a special understanding of how pieces fit together and how history doesn’t just happen,” Adler said. “History is a series of events that have to coincide and putting all those pieces together helps you understand the current day that we live in.”
Currently in Fiji with UNICEF, he is a part of a team repairing a broken country after one of the largest hurricanes in world history hit months ago. He is a member of three departments that offers support with supplies such as vaccines, sanitation and building materials for schools. Adler says an important part of his job is communicating with the local residents and empathizing in times of tragedies.
“Understanding historical context of the places I work in gives me a foot to stand in current day emergencies,” he said. “A part of actively maintaining relationships with the communities I work with is understanding their past. And I feel that my degree from ASU really prepared me to understand historical context in different settings.”
When asked what his tips for current students were, Adler gave words of wisdom that can span across all majors.
“Keep an open-mind,” Adler said. “A college degree opens all types of doors. Life experiences are really valuable as well. It will all pay off a lot.”
Adler’s degree will now take him even further as he has plans to get his Master’s Degree in Supply Logistics Management in Australia, where he currently lives with his fiancé.