Student Spotlight: Tanner M. K’s Passion for History
When you first hear someone say “I love history,” it’s easy to think they’re just talking about memorizing dates or learning about old wars. But for Tanner M. K, history is a whole lot more than that—it’s about understanding how the world works, why it is the way it is, and how everything we do today is connected to what came before.
In his recent presentation, Tanner shared his honest take on how a lot of students feel about history: it’s not exactly everyone’s favorite subject. But he’s also quick to point out why that might be. “If you don’t like history, you just haven’t found what interests you yet,” he wrote. For Tanner, that spark came from studying wars and weapons—especially how technology and strategy evolved through time.
Tanner sees history not as a boring list of facts, but as something that lives in every subject we learn. Whether it’s science, politics, or even math, he believes that none of it would exist without the people and events that came before us. “Even if it doesn’t say anything about being involved in history, it still is,” he explained. His example of how changing just one event—like stopping Hitler before World War II—would completely shift everything that followed shows how deeply he’s thought about history’s ripple effect.
He also connected the past to the future by explaining how historical progress fuels technological growth. “If history didn’t happen, none of our technological advancements would,” Tanner said. From using tech to study the past to relying on it in everyday life, Tanner makes the case that history and innovation go hand in hand.
One of the coolest parts of his presentation? A fun fact about U.S. Navy supercarriers. Tanner explained how these massive ships are powered by nuclear energy and can stay at sea for years without refueling. “They’re basically like a giant metal fish,” he joked, showing just how naturally he makes complicated topics feel easy to understand—and actually pretty fun.
At the end of the day, Tanner K doesn’t just want students to like history—he wants them to get why it matters. And after reading his work, it’s hard not to feel a little more curious about the past, and how it shapes everything we’re living through right now.
