Kevin Miner
The past year has been the most extraordinary and dynamic period of my life—academically,
professionally, and personally. As a result of the countless blessings related to the last
twelve months, I am a more confident, curious, experienced, open, and sociable person. I came to
England with two small suitcases and a tiny list of academic goals. I am going to leave with
lifelong friends and a decade’s worth of memories. It has been an honour to represent the Anton
E. B. Schefer Foundation, the McIntire School of Commerce, and the United States more generally
at Trinity over the 2021-2022 academic year. It is my privilege to wear the title of
Lenox-Conyngham Scholar.
Thank you.
All the best,
Kevin P. Miner
Academic Life
I am working to, and hope to complete very soon, an MPhil in Economic and Social History. The
faculty describe the nature and scope of the program follows:
Economic and social history has always formed an important part of the teaching and research in the Cambridge History Faculty, which is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. Much pioneering work in the ‘new’ social history of communities, demographic history, business history and the history of economic thought has been done here. The MPhil in Economic and Social History provides an extremely thorough training in statistical and social science methodology, while building on other strengths such as an emphasis on researching economic relations and institutions as cultural phenomena.
As part of this degree, I took three courses—(i) Central Concepts in Economic History, (ii) Health, Politics, and Economic Growth, and (iii) History of Economic Thought—and authored a 20,000 word dissertation.
My dissertation has been the single most rewarding aspect of the last twelve months. Trinity’s community of scholars and proximity to some of the greatest archives in the world have compelled me to reach higher in all qualities of my research. I spent several weeks’ worth of my time in the reading rooms of the British Library in London. There, I explored the subject of my dissertation-commercial competition between Britain’s Co-operative Movement and small private shopkeepers in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods—with detail that I have seldomly studied anything else before. The generosity of the LC scholarship enabled me to spend time in the archives working through print and news culture that has not previously been reviewed. I feel that I have materially and meaningfully contributed to the scholarship of my field, eliciting personal emotions of accomplishment and self-pride. I hope to publish a paper from my research this year in the next few months. Doing so would, I am sure, only deepen my appreciation and love for my time at this incredible place.
Part of the reason I applied for this scholarship was a practical exercise in determining whether I had the ability and curiosity to consider a PhD in the future. I can say, with definite certainty, that I have convinced myself on both accounts. Cambridge and Trinity, and the communities therein, have pushed me into applying for PhD programs in the UK and US. Having studied social enterprise competition through a historical perspective this year within Cambridge’s Faculty of History, I hope to now continue that research from a contemporary standpoint as a PhD student at a business school.
In every way, I feel I am a more competent leader and learner from this academic experience. I have seamlessly integrated the practical skills-based education from McIntire with more independent and theoretical study at Cambridge. I have no doubt that this meeting of education systems will serve me well at McKinsey & Company next year and in a future PhD course later on.
Personal and College Life
When I left the US just under a year ago to begin this adventure, I was surprised and awed by the sight of the Northern Lights outside my plane window on my solo stopover in Iceland (Figure 1)—a fortuitous sign of good things to come. In Iceland, I experienced the magnificent natural landscape of the country. Rather usurpingly, I ate fish the entire time. Though, I never did try the fermented shark they kept offering. I saw glaciers, walked under enormous waterfalls, and stood at the seeming edge of the world at Reynisfjara – the black sand beach (Figure 2). From Keflavik I flew to London, where the real journey began.
One of the things that amazed me the most about Trinity, besides its obvious charm, was the friendliness and kindness of its students. The postgraduate community, despite or possibly because of its intellectual and cultural diversity, became a remarkably tight-knit group. In just a few weeks, I met and befriended people from all over the world—Britain, France, Germany, Kuwait, Namibia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, Canada, and the list goes on… I was lucky enough to find a core group of friends that quickly became like family. We ate dinner together every night, played board games, helped each other through projects and classes, saw Mamma Mia and Come From Away on the West End, went hiking, and travelled to Marseille, France, among other equally wonderful things (Figures 3-8).
This summer, especially, has been grand. Perhaps, one of my favourite memories this year was going to May Ball with my sister Kristin who flew in from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Figure 9). The fireworks show stood out as one of the most astonishing parts of the night. It was the most inspiring display I have ever seen. In July, my parents visited, and we flew to Mallorca, Spain for a week to enjoy the sun and sand (Figure 10).
It is impossible to summarise all of my memories from the past year, but I hope it is clear how lovely of an experience this was and how grateful I am for it. Thank you again.
