Lucas Paulo da Silva, '15

I distinctly remember choosing to start a History major at Calvin while pacing around the Huizenga Tennis and Track Center – halfway into my senior year! Throughout the next year, armed with a course load of fascinating History classes, I learned invaluable skills that I still use every day.

After finishing my B.A., I studied international politics and data science, and recently earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin. I am now a Senior Research Associate at the University of Zurich’s Department of Communication Science and Media Research. I use experiments, statistical methods, big data, and machine learning to analyze media bias and how it affects people. I will also teach related classes in the coming years.

Calvin’s History major strengthened my substantive knowledge about the world, my critical thinking, and my ability to synthesize diverse sources. In my research I draw on these skills every time I review a body of literature, develop a theory, or interpret statistics in real-world terms. My background in History has made me a well-rounded political scientist and data scientist with a firm substantive foundation.