Matthew Schoenfeld ’20 is an incoming doctoral student in history at the University of Pennsylvania. His studies will focus on the intersecting histories of race, labor, and the environment in the United States during the nineteenth century. Matthew began his journey at Lafayette College as a mechanical engineer but quickly realized his passion for history commanded a different path. He soon found a home in Ramer. “Lafayette’s history department opened my eyes not only to worlds made throughout the past but to worlds made possible by studying that past.” Advised by Dr. Jeremy Zallen, Matthew wrote his honors thesis titled “Furnishing America: The Philadelphia Cabinet, Chair, and Coffin Making Industry, 1780-1830.” He looks forward to continuing his investigations into the history of craftspeople while at Penn. Since graduating from Lafayette, Matthew has also enjoyed working as a substitute teacher at Valley Forge Middle School in Wayne, Pennsylvania.