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It does pay off in the end. You are prepared and have a strong structure.

Katherine Skrabanek, M.A.
Lecturer of History

  • Alum
History
Employer
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Related Majors
Related Department
History
Year Graduated
2014, 2017

History is personal and Katherine Skrabanek’s childhood passion for history came from a deep love for her ancestry. As a teacher, she uncovers that same excitement for the past in her students. As a history advocate on Twitter, Skrabanek provides opportunities for education and conversation online. In all areas of her work, Katherine Skrabanek reminds her hearers that the history of the world is the history of us.

For her bachelor’s and master’s degree, A&M-Commerce was everything she was looking for: access to the resources of a major university with the tight-knit community normally associated with smaller institutions.

A Conversation with Katherine

What is your current employment/career?

I am a Lecturer of History at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. I teach four sections of US History and serve on university committees. Also, I serve as the twitter co-host for The Coordinating Council for Women in History (@TheCCWH) and H-Slavery (@H_Slavery_HNet). My research focuses on 19th and 20th century Material Culture in relation to race and motherhood/childhood.

How did you end up in this position?

I continued to keep connections with those who I met while in graduate school. I started as an adjunct professor of history teaching two to three sections at TAMUSA. After Spring 2019, I was promoted to a full-time lecturer of history.

How did A&M-Commerce prepare you for your current position?

Classes can be both fun and overwhelming. They are fun because you get to have classes with like-minded history majors. The classes can also be daunting when discussion comes up and everyone wants to be heard. However, it was class discussions that prepared me to hold my own. I knew that I was being taught by some great professors. By the time graduate school came along, I felt I was seen as a “junior colleague.” Someone who had a foundation but, needed some guidance teaching and studying. The programs, both undergraduate and graduate, are rigorous and time-consuming. It does pay off in the end. You are prepared and have a strong structure.

What advice do you have for students?

Always do the readings!

Educational Background

  • MA, History, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2017
  • BA, History, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2014

Academic Positions

Awards and Honors

  • Distinguished Oral Presentation for Master's Level, 12th Annual Texas A&M University Pathways Symposium, 2015

Professional Organizations

Selected Presentations

  • “Producers of the Commodity within Patriarchal and Racist Societies”: Familiar Practices of Eugenics and Law between the Institution of Slavery in American South and the Nazi Regime. Presented at the 2019 Western Association of Women Historians in Portland, OR. April 2019
  • “Not a yard of domestic calico, worsted gingham or muslin”: East Texas Family during the Civil War. Presented at the 2016 Gulf South Historical Association in Mobile, AL. October 2016
  • “Each of them standing with a sword drawn and she was looking with indignation up at Lincoln”: Women and Gendered Roles during the Civil War. Presented at the North Central Texas Phi Alpha Theta Conference at Texas Wesleyan University. April 2016
  • “Make haste and come home. I want to see you”: Family Unit in Texas during the Civil War, 1861-1863. Presented at the History Graduate Student Association at Louisiana State University. March 2016
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