One Thing After Another recently caught up with Adam Rines ’13 and asked him what he’s been up to the past several years. What he had to say was really inspiring, and we just had to share it with you.
Q: You graduated from Saint Anselm College as a History major in 2013. What do you remember most clearly from your time on the Hilltop?
A: Hospitality. When I think back to my years at Saint Anselm, I fondly remember being part of a welcoming community filled with kindhearted individuals dedicated to serving others. Whether those connections arose from the intellectual pursuits of the classroom, from the charity of helping others, or from the friendships of fellow students, service defined my experience as an Anselmian. It does not escape me that I choose to reminisce over such a banal sentiment as the spirit of goodwill on campus instead of more evocative memories like the fierce chariot races on the quad or the lamb souvlaki pocket offered every third Monday for lunch—alas, how I miss that pita! However, time and distance have made me appreciate the closeknit community built on the Hilltop, which is so hard to replicate. I have visited and been a part of many other colleges, but I have yet to find an equal to the supportive campus climate at Saint Anselm.
Q: You currently work as an Academic Coach at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. Can you tell us a little more about the job, particularly your work with first generation college students? What do you enjoy most about working in higher education?
A: I work for one of the federal TRIO programs, Student Support Services, which offers academic, personal, and career guidance to first-generation and low-income college students as well as students with disabilities. The sole focus of my job is to help our participants be successful. The definition of success varies from student to student based on their individual situations. Some students struggle in classes, some in managing the bureaucracy of higher education, and others in determining what comes after graduation. Regardless of their unique challenges, our program untangles the complex web of academia and serves as a support system for students who may lack one.
As a community college, we seek to open the doors of possibilities to our students. One of the ways our program does so is by arranging tours of four-year universities to which they may be interested in transferring. We also hope to encourage camaraderie and team building through fun activities ranging from museums and theatrical performances to bowling, paint nights, and everything in between. The best part of TRIO is that everything offered to students is absolutely free!
Helping students to recognize their own potential and to accomplish their goals is the most rewarding aspect of working in higher education. Everyone arrives at college with differing skillsets, academic abilities, and motivations for being there, but each student possesses the capacity to succeed. I work with students of all ages, from recent high school graduates to grandparents. Most of these students are the first generation in their families to seek a college degree and have the daunting task of figuring out academia alone. This inexperience can breed self-doubt; however, I have yet to meet a student who applied himself or herself and failed. College, above all, is a test of endurance, and thus, sincere effort always results in a degree. I revel in cheering my students along their way to graduation and being a source of support whenever they need.
A note to current Anselmians: I recently learned that Saint Anselm was awarded its own SSS TRIO grant and will soon host its own program on campus. I heartily recommend that those who are eligible apply as soon as it launches. It will be a wonderful opportunity to enhance your college experience and join the national TRIO community that spans millions of students from middle to graduate school.
Q: How do you think the History major helped prepare you for your career?
A: While the historical content of my degree has little bearing on my day-to-day tasks—I have yet, surprisingly, to be asked to propound on the origin of the plague of Justinian or been given a chance to explain the nuances of the Spanish Inquisition—the true legacy of my education remains the critical thinking skills honed throughout my time at Saint Anselm. I knew that if I made a claim in a paper or presentation, it needed to withstand the scrutiny of ever-questioning professors who stood ready to poke holes in sloppy arguments. The ability to examine a problem, gather evidence, evaluate conflicting opinions, and form my own conclusions has proven invaluable in resolving issues and understanding the world. History is full of lies, half-truths, and misrepresentations by those who hope to profit from a distorted view of the past. Critical thought shields against those mischievous motives by being curious, but cautious, and refusing to blindly accept easy answers. The great benefit of this approach allows for a flexible mindset that encourages changing beliefs to match the facts, and not the other way around.
Q: What do you remember about your History and general education courses at Saint Anselm? Anything that stood out about them? Any courses that you especially enjoyed?
A: Of all my courses, the one I reflected on the most in the years following graduation was one I dreaded taking at the time. As the only honors theology offered during the second semester of my senior year, I had to take Professor Pilarski’s “Women in the Old Testament” class to fulfill my degree requirements. My apprehension arose from my ignorance of and lack of interest in the topic—both terrible, misguided follies on my part. Professor Pilarski taught with such infectious passion and drive that I was mesmerized. That course became the most meaningful and impactful in my four years at Saint Anselm. It opened my mind to new concepts and allowed me to turn that once feared ignorance into personal and intellectual growth. Examining the Old Testament through the lens of women required careful consideration of small details and inferences which could be used to paint a picture of their lived experiences and roles in society. The skills necessary to perform this exegesis translated directly to the study of secondary figures and groups ignored or dismissed by historical chroniclers. Had I missed taking Professor Pilarski’s class, I would have lost a humbling lesson on the value of the liberal arts and the importance of interdisciplinary study.
While there are so many distinct memories from my history courses, I am invariably reminded of Professor Dubrulle’s senior reading seminar on Britain in WWI whenever I come across a piece of media portraying that period. I am haunted by Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum est” and its descriptions of the unrelenting horrors of gas shelling and agony inflicted on young men disabused of their former notions of the splendor of war. The despair evident in Owen’s work is further punctuated by the fact that he would die one week before the signing of the Armistice. When we read this poem in class, it did not immediately stand out among the many horrific accounts of trench warfare. Over time, however, this poem found purchase in my mind and refused to leave. It stands as a permanent reminder of the brutality, inhumanity, and desperation felt by young men flung into an unimaginable hellscape. If you have not read the poem—or have not done so in a while—I recommend rectifying that by taking a moment to appreciate the brilliance and tragedy of Wilfred Owen.
Q: What most do you value about a liberal arts education?
A: The liberal arts play a central role in the quality of my education, as I had to study English, philosophy, theology, science, and a foreign language, along with my regular history classes. Without these supplemental courses, I would have been deprived of a richer understanding of the social context of how people thought (philosophy), believed (theology), and conceptualized their world (science). Past events show their vital importance when viewed through the lens of alternative disciplines. The seismic impact of the Reformation, for example, gains new meaning when current discussions in a theology class can be traced back to the writings and debates of Luther and Calvin.
A few years after I started working in higher education, I remember reflecting with a fellow alumnus about our undergraduate experience and how lucky we were to have chosen Saint Anselm. I realized the embarrassment of riches afforded us through our classes and outstanding professors. I am incredibly proud of my degree—as all Anselmians should be—as I know the amount of hard work that went into earning it and the significant accomplishment that it represents.
One Thing after Another 