History Department welcomes esteemed alumni

The Carthage History Department welcomed back its very own Caitlin Zant ’12 as guest speaker for its annual Meet and Greet meeting in November. At Carthage, Ms. Zant double majored in geography and history, graduating with honors in history. 

Ms. Zant has been employed by the Wisconsin Historical Society as a maritime archaeologist for the last three and a half years after attending the Maritime Studies Program at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. for graduate school.

In her five years of working as a maritime archaeologist, Ms. Zant has been involved with over 35 archaeological projects, and has assisted in nominating 20 shipwrecks to the National and State Register of Historic Places. Ms. Zant has primarily focused her studies on the maritime history of the Great Lakes, specifically within Wisconsin.

In addition to offering guidance to students who wish to use their historical skills after graduating from Carthage, Ms. Zant entertained her audience with her expertise on scuba diving as well as describing the life of a Great Lakes marine archeologist.

Ms. Zant’s visit is part of the History Department’s engagement with alumni, who are invited to share their professional experiences with students. In Spring 2019, esteemed alumnus Jon Kukla ’70 will visit Carthage to present a lecture and engage in activities with current students.

Ms. Zant will return in 2019-20 to give a formal technical talk on specific shipwrecks, archeological techniques and the significance of marine archeology to the historical record of the Great Lakes region.