Brad Bauer transferred to CSUF from Orange Coast College, with an interest in history, but not an entirely clear idea of how to pursue history as a degree, or to what careers it might lead. As the first in his family to attend college, and although his parents were very supportive and valued higher education, none of them knew how best to do that. Bauer’s enthusiasm in history was sparked as a child by his father’s stories about his own family’s history. Courses at OCC and CSUF confirmed that history was the area he wanted to pursue. During his time at CSUF, he chose courses throughout HSS, primarily in history, but also focused on German, English and Comparative Literature, and American Studies.

Some of Bauer’s friends and family were skeptical about the value of such “impractical” courses. “Looking back, what I learned in many of those courses has factored into all my jobs and the career I pursued. It broadened my horizons and helped me to better understand the world in which we live,” Brad says. During his final semester at CSUF, with career plans still uncertain, he sought an internship. One of his professors was able to place him at the Anaheim Public Library. His experiences there demonstrated the possibilities of careers in library and information science. That led first to a part-time job, then a full-time job there, and later to pursue a Master’s in Library Science at UCLA.

The combination of a history undergraduate degree and library science revealed further possibilities in the field of archives and archival management, where Bauer discovered a good match between his skills and interests. Since then, he has worked in several archival positions in government service and academia. Most recently he moved to the United Arab Emirates to build a new program in archives and special collections for the library of New York University’s campus in Abu Dhabi.

“Suffice it to say that the affordable and accessible university education that CSUF provided has opened many doors for me. Although I have had the opportunity to later study at and earn degrees from other well-known universities (UCLA and Stanford), I will always see CSUF as the place that made everything else possible, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities that it provided,” Bauer acknowledged.