Portrait of Natalye Harpin smiling into the camera. Photo credit: Portrait Madame

Hi, I’m natalye harpin!

Maybe you are an educator like me, or maybe you are interested in unique ethnography & historical content. Whatever it is, the way we share history and ethnography makes a difference and has an impact.

Despite opinions to the contrary, history does matter. People want to connect with history in a meaningful way that goes beyond bland textbook definitions and slides that are not visually engaging. My goal is to make history more accessible and engaging.

Natalye Pass Harpin was born and raised in San Diego, California, and grew up in Silver Strand military housing. When she and her family moved to Guam, she developed a passion for history and travel. Upon moving back to San Diego, she attended and graduated with honors from Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, CA. She graduated from Southwestern College in 2009, transferring to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Natalye earned her B.A. in History in 2011, and her M.A. in History in 2012. After graduation, Natalye began teaching various community college history courses around San Diego county, specializing in American History, Comparative Americas, & African-American/Black Studies. As a faculty representative with the Honors Transfer Council of California, she actively worked to create new transfer pathways for community college students. In 2016 and 2019, Natalye participated in summer research institutes awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, focusing on the Southern experience as well as Civil Rights’ connection with Jazz in New Orleans. Her presentations at the annual American Historical Association Conference center on teaching the intersections of race and culture in the New World, and its connection to present-day. She makes sure to foster a sense of community in her classroom, and encourages students to learn from, and appreciate, the diversity of their peers in class.

CURRICULUM VITAE

education

Doctorate of Education - University of Louisiana, Monroe (Present)
Curriculum and Instruction

Master of Arts - University of California, San Diego (2011-2012)
History
Specialization: American History, Diasporic History

Bachelor of Arts - University of California, San Diego (2009-2011)
History
Specialization: War, Revolution, and Social Change

employment history

University of California, San Diego (2016 - Present)
Continuing Lecturer
Upper Division Course

Grossmont College (2014 - Present)
Assistant Professor
Chair, Ethnic Studies
Honors Coordinator

professional organizations

American Historical Association
Association of Black Women Historians
National Endowment for the Humanities
Honors Transfer Council of California

It began with something we have been asking since we could talk: “why?”. The “why” motivated me to create historical content that would help answer that question, and be a springboard for further exploration by students.

incorporate it

There are always new ways of including meaningful history into the standard courses, even when it seems like there is mounting pressure not to.

trust it

Trust that the audience want the information just as much as you do. Trust your inclination; we get into this profession to expand the minds of people. Use that fuel!

Press, Presentations, & Grants

Press

Presentations

Awarded Grants

  • “New Orleans Jazz & Civil Rights” granted via the National Endowment for the Humanities & hosted by Tulane University, New Orleans 2019

  • “The Southern Experience” granted via the National Endowment for the Humanities & hosted by the University of Louisiana Lafayette, 2016