History Alumni Spotlight: Sam Deddeh

History alumna Sam Deddeh ‘18 (BA) shares how her time at USD and the support of the Department of History shaped her unique career path.

 

A native of San Diego, Deddeh was a proud commuter student and had never left San Diego until she won a Fulbright. In spite of never having lived away from her childhood home, It was her love of history and teaching that led her to apply for a Fulbright grant that eventually took her abroad and into a new life.

 

"In 2020, with the pandemic raging, and with my beloved grandparents having recently passed away, I set off for what has become my new home. My combined Fulbright grant in Salzburg allowed me to engage in my passion for teaching as well as conduct independent research on history education in Austria," she explained. Her research involved analyzing textbooks and monuments and hearing from students, providing valuable insights that she has shared with other teachers while developing her own English and history curriculum.

After two years of teaching, one in Austria and one in Spain, Deddeh returned to Austria to pursue law school at the University of Vienna. "After finishing my first year, I rang in my summer by studying for my upcoming European law exam, and just returned from attending the European Forum Alpbach as a scholarship holder," she shared.

At the forum, she had the privilege of meeting and learning from experts across various industries, including politicians, activists and Nobel Prize winners. Deddeh also ran her own session on American fascism and the future of the Transatlantic partnership in light of the American election and performed a spoken word piece about her experience as a second-generation Assyrian American. Her spoken word piece won the popular vote from the audience and jury during the 18th Annual Alpbach Speaker's Night.

"It was truly one of the most rewarding events of my life, and I would have never reached this point had I not taken the chance on the Fulbright. And that chance would not have materialized without the unwavering support of the USD History department, for whom I am forever grateful," Deddeh said.