From the Eastern Front to the Cold War, Whitt’s Curiosity Drives His Academic Interests

Zachary Whitt’s undeniable love of history didn’t come from a classroom experience. He didn’t fall in love with the stories of ordinary people who made indelible marks on society, culture, and political outcomes.

No. His love of history bloomed as a 9-year-old with deft command of a video game controller and an all-consuming desire to navigate the battlefield in Call of Duty II. The digital display carried him around the world to scenes of real battles, sparking what Whitt describes as an obsession with history.

“Call of Duty II was released in 2005, and it would present footage from the Military Channel in the game before you started as a new character,” Whitt said. “If you were playing as the Soviet Union’s character, for instance, you were shown footage from the Eastern Front, and it was pulled directly from the Military Channel.”

From Video Games to Library Books

With young eyes and an inquisitive mind, Whitt wanted to learn more about what happened on the Eastern Front in WWII. His virtual tour of the globe in a WWII setting left questions about how something like this could happen on such a large scale. As a result, he started going to the library and checking out history books on the topic of war.

“Total obsession,” Whitt said. “If I wasn’t talking about World War II, I was reading about it.”

Today, Whitt can still be found tucked away in a quiet corner of the library, reading books on historical topics. His interests have expanded into Japanese and German history, cold war politics, and he even thought about studying medicine for a while. But his quest for answers inevitably brings him back to WWII.

“It’s just mind-boggling that something like that happened. That’s one of the biggest things that pulls me back,” Whitt said. “You can’t even fathom the loss of human life; not to mention the damage to people who survived it.”

Now, the journey that began in the James Lewis Elementary school library in Blue Springs, Missouri, will culminate in May with a bachelor’s degree in history at Texas A&M University–Central Texas. His trek to Central Texas made a couple of stops along the way. Born in Indianapolis, Whitt moved with his family to Missouri at the age of 5 when his dad lost his job and had to find work. Several years later, the family moved to Copperas Cove to be near his mother’s family in Brownwood.

Parents Were an Influence in Education

Whitt thanks his parents for nurturing his love of learning. His mother is a former elementary school teacher, and his father works as a nurse at the prison in Gatesville. When Zachary and his younger brother Zane were children, his father would illicit the youngsters’ help when studying for medical exams in nursing school.

“My dad read to me a lot,” Whitt said. “Not history, but science stuff. When he would study for nursing school, he would have us help him, and somehow, he would teach us stuff while he was there studying, too.

“I liked learning about the bones and all of that.”

Thus, he says, sparking a brief interest in the pursuit of medicine. The side track, however, was short-lived as Whitt returned to the subject that had inspired him.

As he grew, his love of history burned brighter, filtering into his relationships with friends.

“I annoyed plenty of people with how much I talked about it,” he joked, all the time wondering why others didn’t get as excited about history and its connections to the present as he did.

While his love of history may not have been commonplace among high school teens, Whitt said he did connect with the status quo in other areas … particularly his dislike of school.

“I hated school more for the normal reasons a kid would hate school; why do I have to get up early and stuff like that,” he said.

Delaying the College Experience

These feelings led to a delayed start to his college career. Whitt took some time off before deciding he needed to get a degree. Even then, his journey would hit a significant bump in the road.

“I started at Central Texas College in the spring of 2020 … great year to start,” he said.  

He was taking a few classes when the pandemic shut everything down. Whitt didn’t want to do online classes, so he took some more time off. Nearly two years. He returned to CTC in the Spring of 2022. Older and more committed, he started working as a tutor while he completed his associate’s degree. He then transferred to A&M–Central Texas and has enjoyed his experience with the university, finding his professors engaging and the coursework interesting. His only desire is to have additional courses on specific topics of interest, but he understands the limitations. And that’s why he spends much of his time in the library.

Not Just Living in the Past

His interests have also blossomed over the years. He taught himself to play guitar, bass, and drums. He has also tried his hand at the keyboard. He wasn’t into the music scene as a teenager and didn’t play any instruments in band, but now, he finds beauty in the art.

“It kind of broadens your perspective,” he said. “You can hear these interesting sounds. There’s poetry to it, too. And I appreciate the sheer technicality and skill needed to perform and play certain things.”

Whitt quotes German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who once said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

Whitt believes that learning about music and other topics brings a broadened perspective to life in general.

“When you start to explore different topics, you realize there is a lot more to it than you initially think,” he said. “History, science, music … you can spend your entire lifetime combing the depth and never reach the bottom of a particular topic. As I’ve explored more things, I realize there is so much out there for all of these different fields. It’s kind of motivated me to give more things a chance.”

What Comes Next?

For now, Whitt’s primary focus remains history. As he prepares to graduate in the spring of 2026, his sites are set on the future and what he hopes to accomplish. His goal? Complete a Ph.D. in history and teach … or is it?

“I’ve been telling everyone for a while that I’d like to get a Ph.D. So, the natural track for me right now is that I’d like to become a professor one of these days,” he said. “I’m not 100% on that track, but don’t tell my professors about that.”

So, what other profession might be calling a history major who loves spending his time surrounded by a stack of books?

Library sciences, anyone?

By Jonathan Petty, Director of Enrollment Marketing and Communications