College of Liberal Arts
For Maddie Ashlock, an interest in Russian history became the foundation for an even deeper academic journey. Encouraged by faculty mentors, she added Russian language studies to complement her history coursework, discovering new ways to engage with the people, cultures and events she was studying. Through seminar-style classes and close relationships with faculty, she found an academic community that challenged her to think critically and pursue new opportunities.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm Maddie Ashlock, and I'm studying history with a minor in foreign languages. My language is Russian, so I'm hoping to be fluent within the next year.
What brought you to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and what made you decide that it was the right place for you?
I came to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ because I grew up in Anchorage, and I really wasn't trying to go out of state. I liked the idea of being close to home. I always say that I grew up 15 minutes away from "real" ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ because I don't think Anchorage counts. I feel more ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñn than ever being in Fairbanks, and I've really loved my time here.
In your own words, why study the liberal arts?
I think studying the liberal arts is extremely important because it allows people to think in a way they wouldn't have if they hadn't studied the liberal arts.
As a history major, my professors always say that we're essentially trying to learn how to build arguments with evidence. We write an essay a week. It's heavy on writing, but I think that translates into any field. If you want to be a lawyer or a good public speaker, I think the study of history matters because, A, we need to know history, and B, it's about being able to make arguments and support them with factual evidence.
I think that's a really good skill to have, no matter what field you want to go into or what you're looking to do after graduation.
What has your experience in the Department of History been like, and what makes it special?
The history department at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is interesting because it's very small. For the most part, I study Russian and European history, so I have the same cohort in most of my classes. All of our professors like to do seminar-style classes, so we're talking and debating with each other. I think that creates a very interesting dynamic because, when you think about history, you think about a teacher just lecturing. But in reality, our professors are trying to create discourse and conversations between students, which I think is valuable. It also kind of replicates the real world.
If you were to be a historian, or whatever job you go into, you need to be able to talk and communicate your ideas and thoughts. I think the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Department of History really prepares you for that.
How has your time at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ changed you, either academically, personally, or professionally?
I'm a pretty shy person by nature. When I'm in groups, especially one-on-one, I'm good, but before I came to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, I was very scared to speak out and share, especially in a classroom setting. Through my CLA classes—and I've taken English, justice and history—I think I've been encouraged to trust myself and know that I have good thoughts and that whatever I have to say is worthy of saying.
I think ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ really cemented that for me, that I can share and that I do have valuable things to say.
Was there a professor, mentor, or community that made a big impact on your journey? How?
I would say that Dr. Kirk, who is my Russian history professor, has had the biggest impact on me personally. I came to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ as a history and secondary education major. I dropped secondary education, and I wasn't sure what to do. He said, "Well, you like Russian history. You need to learn the Russian language."
At first, that was kind of scary for me, but I did, and he has encouraged me throughout my language journey. All of my history classes are with him, and he's really pushed me to be my best and to learn the language. I think the track I'm on now and my trajectory are a direct result of him saying, "You can do this, and you should do this."
It's a worthy thing to do, and I really think that's all Dr. Kirk.
What are you excited about next, and how has ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ prepared you for it?
I'm graduating in May, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has given me the opportunity... I've never lived out of state, and I'm going to a summer program where I'm only going to speak Russian for two months this summer. I'm kind of nervous, but I feel like I can do it. I think ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has given me a weird confidence that, A, it's cool that I'm from ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and B, everyone here is so nice. I don't know if people are going to be that nice out of state, but I'm just going to go forth and conquer. There's this energy ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has, and I just need to bring that with me wherever I go.
What advice would you give to future ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ students?
One piece of advice I would give to future ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ students is to just literally be yourself, because everyone at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is so nice, and everyone is super different. If you're scared coming into college, like, "Oh, I'm not going to make friends," or whatever your fear is, there's going to be someone here who has the same fear, and you're going to figure it out together.
There's a person here for everyone because everyone is super different, and they all have different interests. It's very interesting to see the conglomeration of people here. It's a very interesting community, so there's something for everyone. There's someone for everyone. That's my favorite thing about ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.
Congratulations to Maddie Ashlock on being named the Department of History's 2026 Outstanding Student of the Year. Learn more about the Department of History and explore more Outstanding Student spotlights from across the College of Liberal Arts.
