Alumni Highlight
Pilar Svendsen: History Teacher at Santa Clara High School
- by Staff
- May 29, 2025
"Study Abroad with the History Department! That was the best opportunity that I did during my time in UC Davis. I was a transfer student to UC Davis and I would encourage students to get involved in the campus to feel more connected to UC Davis.
Name: Pilar Svendsen
Major: History
Current Position/Status: History Teacher at Santa Clara High School
Year Graduated: 2012
How did your degree in History shape and prepare your career path post-graduation?
My History degree helped lay the pathway for me in my career as a history educator and has also launched my ability to partner with Museums. I have presented at the California Conference of Social Studies and the National Council for Social Studies on behalf of the National WWII Museum. I am going to be a Peer Facilitator for Colonial Williamsburg this summer, and I have also expanded my learning and key takeaways from my travel abroad with Professor Kathy Stuart. Traveling to Austria with Professor Stuart in the summer of 2012 was the first time I had left the country. Since 2012, I have traveled to 25 countries! My life was changed by that study abroad program and has led me to attend professional development opportunities throughout the country and world. See my attached resume for more information about professional development programs that I have done since graduating from UC Davis.
How did your UC Davis education prepare you for this work?
The skills and knowledge I gained prepared me for graduate level work and inspired me to continue learning history. Since graduating US Davis, I have gone on to get a Masters in American History, partnered with museums on curriculum, and presented at history conferences for educators. All of this would not have been possible if it wasn't for the outstanding teaching and learning that I completed during my Undergraduate years at UC Davis.