Hello, world!

My name is Alex Raymond Beaver, I am a Senior at the Pennsylvania State University, projected to graduate in 2020.

I am from a very small town called Duncannon, about a 20-minute drive north of Harrisburg. I went to Susquenita School District for my K-12 education where I pursued many musical, volunteer, and computer groups and programs, before going to PSU, my dad’s alma mater and my intended college since I was very young. During school, I was involved in the Boy Scouts of America, multiple AP classes, theatre, student teaching, and musical programs, including a nationally recognized, award-winning audition choir known as the West Side Singers, with which I was also recognized in both District and Regional Chorus (my regional chorus director is actually the director of the glee club men’s choir here at PSU).

I am currently pursuing a B.A. in History, with a minor in English. I was originally pursuing a B.S. in Computer Engineering while still at the Penn State Harrisburg branch campus, but changed majors at Semester III when I found my affinity for history that had otherwise pervaded my life up until that point.

Aside from the purely academic aspects of Penn State, I have been involved in several clubs and musical organizations over the course of my education. While at PSH, I was in the Japanese Culture Association, otherwise known as the Anime Club, for two years, where I was also the Treasurer for a year. I was also involved in various musical pursuits, including the Penn State Harrisburg Chamber Singers, Concert Band, Jazz Band, as well as a production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, a punk rock musical rendition of the life and times of the titular President of the United States. To this end, I was involved in some more creative musical groups, including founding the Penn State Harrisburg Saxophone Trio, and having composed and transposed several pieces of music for the Concert Band.

Now that I am in my senior year, I’m having to think about my future much more. My plan is, at the behest of several past professors, to take the GREs and to go from there. If I do exceptionally well on the exams and am able to secure a fully-funded graduate program, I will be going from one school to another. If I am able to find employment in some history field, such as teaching, museum, or archival work, I will pursue that instead before eventually going back to complete some grad school. I’m trying to leave my options open so as to not lock myself into a path that turns out to lead nowhere. The whole time I plan on continuing my freelance writing work, both in the fiction and history fields.

Outside of the obvious history and musical bends, I enjoy playing video games, playing and running tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, reading and writing. I also enjoy whiskey, autumn, rain, cold weather, and music of all genres from jazz to metal to J-pop to classic rock.