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For a history buff, growing up near Boston is like a country music aficionado being raised in Nashville.

But as a youngster in Lawrence, Massachusetts, history alumna Kelley Leonhard 鈥�22 took for granted the landmarks and lore that were all around her.

鈥淏ecause it was in my backyard, it was always going to be there, so it wasn鈥檛 as urgent,鈥� says Leonhard, who first walked the Freedom Trail in Boston while in middle school, when a cousin visited from Missouri.

Now chief operating officer of the Boston History Company, a guided tour provider, Leonhard is an expert on the Freedom Trail and many of the city鈥檚 other top historic sites.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad I have a career where I get to use my degree. It鈥檚 a real privilege to be able to work in the humanities,鈥� she says.

Leonhard is as passionate about horses as she is about history. She originally studied veterinary technology at Mount Ida College, but by her sophomore year, she realized that a STEM career 鈥渨asn鈥檛 a sustainable academic path for me.鈥� She left school and took a job at an agriculture equipment company in Lancaster, Massachusetts 鈥� driving past the UML campus on her daily commute to and from home in Dracut, Massachusetts. Two years later, she decided to return to school part time, this time as a history major at UML.

鈥淚t was the only school I applied to, and it ended up being a great fit,鈥� says Leonhard, who was impressed by the 鈥渋ncredible鈥� commitment and support of faculty members such as Prof. Christopher Carlsmith, Assoc. Prof. Abby Chandler and Professor Emeritus Shehong Chen, her first advisor.

鈥淭he History Department is this hidden gem on campus,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have had the same career trajectory without the support and encouragement of my professors here.鈥�

During her senior year, Leonhard worked as a visitor experience staff member at Revolutionary Spaces, a nonprofit organization in Boston that operates the Old State House and Old South Meeting House. Through that position, she met Daniel Berger-Jones, founder and CEO of the Boston History Company. She started working there part time as the company rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than two years later, Leonhard was elevated to COO of the three-person company, which operates out of the Boston Athenaeum.

鈥淚t sounds like a really fast shift, and it was,鈥� says Leonhard, who is responsible for everything from bookings, customer service and marketing to hiring and training the two dozen tour guides contracted by the company.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an interesting space to work in, and it鈥檚 great to be part of a company that鈥檚 growing as rapidly as it is as it bounces back from COVID,鈥� says Leonhard, who expects even more business as Boston prepares to celebrate the country鈥檚 250th birthday in 2026.

鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be a ton of buzz and a lot of jobs. It will be all hands on deck,鈥� says Leonhard, who enjoys bringing history to life for those who may take it for granted, as she once did. 鈥淥nce you get past the Freedom Trail, there鈥檚 so much history to dig into in Boston.鈥�