My years as a UMD History major had a profound influence on both my professional and personal life. Two professors in particular — Ronald Huch and Neil Storch — encouraged me to take research and writing seriously at a formative moment. Their courses demanded close reading, careful argument, and an appreciation for the many ways perspective shapes how we understand the past.
Those habits of mind stayed with me as my career moved into nursing, teaching, and academic leadership. The ability to think critically, weigh competing interpretations, and listen for nuance proved essential in clinical practice, in the classroom, and later in my writing life. They also shaped the way I approach stories in my forthcoming narrative nonfiction book, Daughters of the Islands. Looking back, my history studies at UMD gave me more than content knowledge. They taught me how to ask better questions, listen for nuance, and see the world through multiple lenses — skills that have guided me in every chapter since.
Since graduating in 1973, my career has followed a path I could never have predicted as an undergraduate History major at UMD. I spent many years as a clinical nurse specialist and later held teaching and leadership roles at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the University of Texas, New York University, Northeastern University, and California State University San Marcos. Writing remained a steady thread throughout, including academic articles and my award winning history Handling the Sick (Ohio State University Press, 2004).
This July marks a meaningful shift with the publication of my first narrative nonfiction book, Daughters of the Islands. The project reflects a more human-centered way of telling stories, shaped by the years I lived and taught in Hawai‘i and by the remarkable women whose histories form the heart of the narrative. Based on intimate, voice-driven interviews I conducted nearly three decades ago, their stories illuminate the courage and quiet resilience of nurses who helped create Hawai‘i’s communities across the twentieth century. In many ways, this book feels like a return to the curiosity and purpose that first took root during my years at UMD.