At Seattle Pacific University, students have ample opportunities to learn about history through academics and experiences outside the classroom with the history club Hindsight. The club allows students to learn and engage with the past through meetings and fun events.
Fourth-year history student and Hindsight financial advisor Zachariah Nacke explains that a big part of Hindsight is discussion and giving students an environment where they can learn about the past and present together.
“We spend time talking about history, learning about new historical discussions, controversies and current events. We also just have a space for people to come and explore historical topics they may be unfamiliar with,” Nacke said.
While discussing history is the cornerstone of Hindsight’s activities, meetings and events are far from confined to just sitting and talking about the same topics and events all the time. In reality, many possible activities may occur in a meeting without concrete requirements.
However, history students are just one of the people welcome to join in.
“Our topics include why we study history, our favorite historical time periods, our favorite historical movies or we just watch a fun video like puppet history,” Nacke said. “Hindsight is not just for history majors. In fact, a majority of our events are attended by non-majors.”
There are so many clubs at SPU that some tend to be overlooked or ignored. However, fourth-year history museum studies student and Hindsight president Lou Bridges feels strongly that Hindsight is an integral part of SPU.
“We have a great history department at SPU, and I think it’s important for students to be involved in history,” Bridges said. “Hindsight provides a space for history lovers to connect and talk about things they’re passionate about.”
The activities of the club go far beyond just weekly meetings and extend into creating exciting events that all students can enjoy. Bridges spoke about how Hindsight often organizes larger-scale activities on and off campus to get students interested in history.
“We organize events such as the ‘History Fall Gathering’ that we work with the history department to put together, or museum visits,” Bridges said. “A few weeks ago, we got a group together to go to the MOHAI on their first free Thursday.”
Hindsight organizes fun history-centered events as well as larger projects and research activities that offer the more dedicated history lovers valuable opportunities. Alissa Walter, an advisor for Hindsight, spoke about some future and ongoing Hindsight projects.
“Hindsight is helping with a dendrochronology project this year by constructing a timeline of dates that will connect to the rings of a tree that came down in Tiffany Loop a few years ago,” Walter said. “History students will also be involved in doing historical research in the SPU archives, researching the environmental history of the Puget Sound region, and designing the final display, which will take place during the winter quarter.”
While Hindsight’s activities allow students to get together and enjoy their shared interests, they also help remind students why history matters and why preserving history on campus is important. As Nacke explains, Hindsight aims to promote and celebrate history in an enjoyable and educational environment.
“History is such an important and vital field to our society, yet it is so underrepresented,” Nacke said. “Historians do not get the love and support they deserve. So, creating a space where not only do they feel like they can be welcomed, but continue to learn and grow more with other people who welcome them is important.”
Hindsight is an essential part of life at SPU because it is all about history, community, learning, preserving and representing history and those who study it. To Nacke, and all of the other members of Hindsight, the club’s strengths come from the people who are a part of it.
“I just love the community, and we do a lot to bring awareness to the things going on in the world and make sure people feel like they have a space not only on campus but in the world, ” Nacke said. “We always love more members.”
To stay updated with Hindsight events and activities, follow @spu_hindsight on Instagram.
