Caitlin McClister

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from CSUDH in 2023, earning a B.A. in History with minors in Anthropology and Political Science. While at CSUDH, I explored several opportunities offered by the department, including serving as a library assistant at the Gerth Archives and Special Collections, editor for The Toro Historical Review, research assistant for Dr. Kerry Shannon, and President of the History Club. I also participated in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher Monty and Dr. Andrea Johnson. One of my favorite experiences happened in 2022 when I had the honor of representing CSUDH in the Panetta Congressional Internship Program, which gives one student from every CSU the opportunity to work as an intern for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives at their Washington D.C. office.

After graduating from CSUDH, I immediately entered the M.A. program at CSU Long Beach. There, I am specializing in U.S. and World History, with a thematic focus on gender and mass media. Currently, I am working on an M.A. thesis titled “Smut: American Womanhood in the 1970s,” which examines 1970s American romance novels and the impact they had on the lives of women who read them. Based on research I have completed so far, my working thesis is that American romance novels written in the 1970s reflected the cultural and social transformations that women experienced during this decade, including the contradictions embedded within aspects of those changes, as seen in female employment and sexuality and female-male relationships.

In addition to my academic pursuits, I also opened an online indie romance and fantasy bookstore with my mom. Our bookstore, SunKissed Fiction, specializes in traditional and indie- published romance and fantasy books, as well as bookish accessories. Our goal is to eventually open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in the South Bay.

CSUDH provided the foundation for where I am today. My time at CSUDH taught me how to think critically, explore every possible experience you might be interested in, and take advantage of the opportunities and guidance that the History Department has to offer. I made the most of my time at CSUDH, and now I can say that I am a college graduate, a graduate student, and an entrepreneur. That journey started at CSUDH, and I’m so proud to be a History alumni.