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Tatiana Irwin

Tatiana Irwin - CSM History Faculty

I began teaching in the San Mateo Community College District in 2013 at Skyline College. In 2015, I started full-time at the College of San Mateo, and never looked back. What other job would allow me to work so directly with students and history?

Tatiana Irwin - CSM History Faculty

History is my passion and communicating it, warts and all, has been my mission. I see the possibilities of history to train students in workplace skills and to engage them in our democracy. History is also a discipline that allows us to connect with the origins of our personal interests and our personal narratives. I hope that students entering my classroom not only find opportunities to learn about their histories but also make greater connections to a past that is not always as obviously connected to our communities and experiences. Curiosity is at the core of my teaching, and my own learning. More than any set of names and dates, history is about a curiosity in the past and the ability to use our skills to interpret people’s actions.

My favorite class to teach is California history because we are surrounded by our subject. I enjoy challenging and nuancing the histories we think we know about the missions and the Gold Rush. It is also a great class for discussing with students the history that continues to impact us today.  One of the strengths of the College of San Mateo is its cross-section of students and community members who contribute to these dialogues. 

Outside of the classroom, I continue to study history.  Starting in 2022 I joined a PhD program in History at the University of Davis where I have worked with the History Social Science Project. Most of my vacations and outdoor activities revolve around exploring California's history.

Professional Accomplishments/Achievements

  • “Veneration of the Pioneers: Native Daughters and Monuments to the Golden West” presentation at the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association conference, 2022.
  • “College of San Mateo: 100 Years of Making Dreams Come Through” exhibit with the San Mateo County History Museum, 2022.
  • “Women in the Beat Movement” presentation with the Beat Museum, 2021.
  • "Organized Womanhood" presentation with the San Mateo County Historical Association Courthouse Docket, 2020.
  • "Colonial Women 1607-1750" in Women's History, Global Lyceum, 2019.
  • "Public Woman, Local Library; The Founding of the Campbell Free Library, 1905-1923," Global Lyceum, 2016.