Blake Van Wicklen
Irving,TX
Summary
Recent history graduate and motivated emerging historian with professional experience as a Teamsters labor organizer at UPS, grounding my academic focus on labor history, working-class movements, and political economy. Co-founder and head organizer of Ideas on Tap, a public educational initiative that connects scholars with community audiences across DFW. Experienced in research, historiographical analysis, oral history methods, and public engagement. Research interests include US labor history and Cold War Latin America.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Package Handler
UPS
07.2022 - Current
- Managed high-volume package tracking with accuracy
- Communicated with team leads to coordinate deliveries and workflow
- Used scanning systems and maintained precise data entry
- Followed protocols and supported team efficiency under pressure
- Adapted to shifting priorities and tight deadlines
Assistant Manager
Domino's Pizza
08.2017 - 07.2022
- Assisting customers with orders, payments, providing excellent customer service and resolving customer concerns
- Delivered timely service under tight schedules and changing routes
- Balanced multiple tasks while maintaining reliability and professionalism
- Led team in executing daily operational goals, enhancing overall efficiency and productivity.
Census Enumerator
United States Census
05.2020 - 08.2020
- Collected large amounts of data for government record-keeping by conducting individual interviews
- Provided assistance to respondents filling out government forms, finding digital solutions
- Verifying information provided to Census Bureau
Education
Bachelor of Arts - History
University of North Texas
Denton, TX05-2025
Skills
- Historical Research & Analysis — primary/secondary source evaluation, archival literacy
Historiography — familiarity with major debates, schools of interpretation
Writing & Argumentation — academic writing, thesis construction, long-form research papers
Critical Reading — extracting arguments, tracing scholarly debates, comparative reading
- Spanish Reading Comprehension Intermediate Level
Languages
Spanish
Limited Working
Interests
Labor history, class formation, and working-class movements
Marxist historiography, political economy, and materialist analysis
Cold War Latin America, revolutionary movements, and US interventionism
Transnational social movements & global histories of the Left
Public humanities, community education, and accessible scholarship
Timeline
Package Handler
UPS
07.2022 - Current
Census Enumerator
United States Census
05.2020 - 08.2020
Assistant Manager
Domino's Pizza
08.2017 - 07.2022
Bachelor of Arts - History
University of North Texas