About Nate Sikora
I am a senior History major with minors in Economics and Political Science. Born in Dayton and raised in Central Ohio, my academic passions lie in politics and economics. While attending U.D., my extracurricular activities include serving in Student Government as a First-Year Senator and Speaker of the Senate, President of College Democrats, and as an Opinions Writer for the student newspaper, Flyer News. Outside of school, my interests in legislative politics led me to intern with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the Ohio Statehouse, the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, and the Montgomery County Auditor. For my honors thesis in economic history, I researched the origins of wage and income inequality in the United States from 1973 to 1984 from a historiographical perspective. I am always in search of new books and news articles to learn about economics and history.
My hobbies include weight-lifting, golf, and watching sports with my friends. Upon graduation, I will be the Executive Assistant for the Franklin County Auditor in Columbus – beginning my career in public service working on behalf of the community that raised me. I am committed to a career in public service and plan to work diligently to learn about my community, the issues it faces, and what role I can play to help solve problems.
Participating in the the Dayton Arcade History Project taught me to become a more versatile and adaptive researcher, writer, and historian. From searching endlessly in the archives for primary source material, reading numerous books about Dayton’s past, and even touring the Dayton Arcade before its new renovations begin in 2019, being an historian is way more than merely writing. The work required to create this project was multifaceted. For instance, we built this website!
Conducting oral interviews was my favorite part of the project. Talking with Daytonians from all walks of life about what the Arcade meant to them instilled in me a greater meaning to this project as well as the value of the Arcade and downtown Dayton more generally. I enjoyed most my interview with Bill “the Barber” Clark who owns Jesse’s Barber Shop downtown. He told stories of how the Arcade and downtown in the 1950s and 1960s was a hub of activity, where the sidewalks were “shoulder to shoulder” and busses going in and out of town were packed like a New York City subway. But those times are no more. However, Bill expressed great hope – as have most we interviewed – that the city of Dayton is beginning to make a comeback, and the Arcade will return better than before. I believe they are right.
