Alexa Liautaud

Thesis: "Fighting Blind: America’s Search for Victory in Afghanistan"

"Major in the topic you have the most questions about. Don't shy away from experiences and choose something that scares you everyday."

Current Job:

Reporter, Vice News

First Steps after Graduation:

Columbia Journalism School M.S.

How did you end up pursuing your career? Do you have any advice for students contemplating similar career paths? What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were an undergraduate?

I have known I have wanted to be a journalist or follow a similar career path since I was 11 years old. If you don't know what you want to do yet, then try everything. Major in the topic you have the most questions about. Don't shy away from experiences and choose something that scares you everyday.

Has your History training helped you along the way - and if so, how?

Majoring in History has helped me every day since I graduated. Now more than ever our news needs context. We cannot be given snippets of information without also being given an understanding of what it means and where it came from. I am forever grateful for having studied History at Stanford with the guidance of some of the most incredible professors in their field.

Do you have any particularly fond memories of the History Department?

My conversations with Professor Joel Beinin are by the far some of the fondest memories I have of the History Department. I continue to be grateful today for those office hours and for him giving me the space to bounce ideas off of him. I also remember my History graduation ceremony being a wonderful moment. Some of Stanford's smartest students graduated in History and it was a privilege to walk alongside them.