Current Students
Lauryn Baehr
Lauryn Baehr is from Mesa, Arizona. She received a BS in Public History with an Emphasis in Museum Studies from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. She completed both an archival and an education internship at the Sioux City Public Museum. Lauryn also completed a special project in Historic Preservation for Floyd Cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa. Her current career interests are in Collections Management and Archives. Lauryn is now a first year MA student in the Public History program.
Austin Bailey
Austin received his BA in history from Marshall University in Huntington WV, his research emphasized repatriation within the museum field. During his time in West Virginia Austin worked as an exhibit design intern for Heritage Farms Museum and Village as well as a processing archivist at Marshall University Special Collections, and an editor for the public history website Clio. Recently Austin has worked with the National Building Museum as a collections management intern and hopes to continue his work with repatriation and museum ethics.
Evelyn Baldwin
A native of Florida, Evelyn pursued a BA in English with a concentration in Literature and Language and a minor in History. She is passionate about creating and maintaining diverse and accessible avenues for public interaction with history. Her research interests are African American history and digital history, and she is particularly interested in the use of gender, queer theory, and race as research lenses. When she is not buried in a book, Evelyn can be found working as a dog walker, talking about Harry Potter, and sharing lots of obscure fun facts.
Mattie Branson-Meyer
Mattie Branson-Meyer is a first-year Public History MA student from Bainbridge Island, Washington. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2020 with a BA in English and a concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies. After graduation, she spent two years serving as an AmeriCorps member in Milwaukee, supporting high school students on their path to college. Mattie’s research interests include 19th and 20th century American material culture, as well as the rhetoric of exhibits and labels. She is passionate about community collaboration, and hopes to continue this work throughout her career. In her free time, Mattie loves hiking, playing cello, and cozying up with a good book!
Shaan Budhwani
Shaan Budhwani is from Houston, Texas, and received his BA in History with a minor in Education from the University of Houston. He taught high school geography in Houston for two years before coming to DC. His research interests include immigration and religion, and he has written multiple papers on Muslims in the United States. Looking forward, his career interests are in the federal government and museum education, with experience from an education internship at the National Museum of American History. He loves travel and hiking and is looking forward to the next journey after the end of COVID.
Sam Burnett
Samantha Burnett is a first-year Public History Master’s student originally from upstate New York. She received her BA in History along with a minor in Biology from Loyola University Maryland. While attending Loyola, Sam wrote her undergraduate honors thesis on British Victorian perceptions of disability and their intersection with fairy folklore and 19th-century ideas of race. Previously, Sam has interned at several institutions, including the American Historical Association and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Her research interests include disability history as well as the history of medicine and science.
Rosie Cain
Rosie Cain was born and raised in Longmont, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in History with Distinction. Rosie is interested in exhibit design and curation. Her research interests include women’s history, history of gender, and 20th century social history. Rosie is currently the Timothy and Anita McBride Term Fellowship in White House History for the White House Historical Association. She previously worked in the education and visitor services department at Tudor Place Historic House & Garden.
Katlyn Calamito
Katlyn graduated with her BA in historical studies, with a minor in Holocaust and Genocide studies from Stockton University in 2018. After she finished her BA, she went on to be an intern for the Washington’s Headquarters Museum at the Morristown National Park, in Morristown, NJ. There she created and displayed her first exhibit, An Amorous Connection: Alexander Hamilton and the Affair that Shook the Nation. It was displayed in the museum’s gallery from May to August 2019. Besides having an interest in American Revolutionary history, Katlyn also enjoys studying women’s history, labor history, early 20th century American history, and Victorian England history. Katlyn hopes to work in one of DCs many museums one day doing collection work and exhibition care.
Shae Corey
Shae Corey is a second-year Public History student from Orlando, Florida. She graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama with a degree in History and Secondary Education. Shae is currently working as DC Preservation League’s 2021-2022 Graduate Fellow creating digital content, developing social media strategies, and conducting neighborhood research. Her historical interests primarily lie in community history, oral history, and Black studies. She plans to stay in DC post-graduation and pursue work focused on sharing the stories of those who have been historically excluded from the American narrative.
McKenna Crews
McKenna Crews is a first-year Public History MA student from Greenville, Ohio. She graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor's of Science majoring in social studies education, general history, and public history with a minor in African American Studies and a concentration in political science. Her research interests include African history and American history as well as museum education. McKenna has worked in many museums and schools and currently teaches 8th grade Civics at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, VA.
Sherrell Daley
Sherrell Daley is from Brooklyn, New York, and received her BA in History with a minor in Theatre from Allegheny College. During her time in Allegheny, Sherrell was a member of the Global Citizens Scholars Program and a student intern at the Lawrence Lee Pelletier Library Archives. After graduating, she volunteered at the Museum of the City of New York. Sherrell is currently a graduate fellow for the Humanities Truck. Her academic interests include urban history, women’s history, museum education and curatorial studies. Outside the classroom, Sherrell enjoys traveling, and hanging out with friends.
Shelby Dunn
Shelby Dunn is a first-year Public History MA student from Portland, Oregon. She received a BA in History and Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon in 2019. While at the U of O, she interned with a local environmental organization where she led educational programs on local history and ecology. After graduation, she interned as a docent and research assistant with the National Armed Forces & Law Enforcement Memorial Museum in Dunedin, Florida. Some of her research interests include environmental history, modern European history, and the history of industrialization. She is passionate about education and is pursuing a degree in public history to prepare for a career in museum education.
Michaela Fehn
Michaela Fehn received her BA in history with a Minor in English from Baylor University and is currently a graduate student in the Public History Master’s Program at American University. Her passion for history is rooted in American history, and her research interests include the American Revolution and Early Republic. Michaela hopes to one day work in museum education, interacting with kids and adults, engaging both audiences in all the cool things history has to offer. Outside of the classroom, Michaela can usually be found watching the latest movie to hit theaters or enjoying a sitcom.
Gabriella Folsom
Gabriella Folsom is a first-year Public History Master’s student originally from Buffalo, New York. She came to DC in 2016 as an undergraduate at AU, where she studied abroad in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, interned at the AHA and the Wilson Center, and served as President of the Student Historical Society. She graduated with a BA in History with a minor in Russian, and a BA in Political Science. She was a member of the Community-Based Research Scholars program and is passionate about promoting and engaging with community-led histories. After graduating, Gabriella worked at the AHA where she administered their awards and marketing. She currently serves as the History Department's Senior Administrative Assistant. Her research interests include Russian cultural and religious history, and especially how culture, history, and religion were represented to the public in the Soviet Union.
Molly Foster
Molly Foster is a graduate student in the Public History program. Molly is from Sebastopol, California, and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington for her undergraduate degree. She majored in English and History, with minors in Spanish, Classics, and Dance. While there, she ran Cross Country and Track, studied abroad in Ireland and Italy, worked for the Gonzaga Bulletin, and had various internships across campus. Molly loves studying many aspects of history but is passionate about dance history, folk history, classical studies, World War II, and the Holocaust. Apart from studying or working at American’s Writing Center, Molly is an avid runner, reader, explorer, wine connoisseur, and coffee shop-lover.
Amanda Gallagher
Amanda is a second year MA student in the Public History program. Her historical interests include women’s history, LGBTQIA history, and modern American and European history. She interned with the Women’s National Democratic Club Education Foundation and the National Parks Service at Lowell National Historical Park. In her undergraduate at Merrimack College she studied History, French, and Secondary Education. She wants to pursue a career in museum education and work in the intersection of history and education outside a typical classroom setting. Outside of class Amanda can be found sending time with her cats and at the boxing gym.
Vincent Gonzalez
Vincent Gonzalez received his BA in History from California State University, Fullerton in 2018 and is a first year-year Public History Master’s student. Vincent has a background on the Hill, previously working on arts/humanities issues in Congresswoman Julia Brownley’s office as a Legislative Correspondent / Legislative Aide. Growing up around planes and airshows at a local airport, his historical interests lie in Aviation History and US History. He hopes to combine his knowledge from the Hill with his interest in history by working in federal arts/humanities policy or in aviation museums such as the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Meredith Jackson
Meredith Jackson is a first-year Public History MA student. Originally from Illinois, Meredith graduated in 2021 from William & Mary with an AB in History and Government with a certification from NIAHD in Material Culture and Public History. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the intersection of slavery and public history, specifically researching President John Tyler’s family and the enslaved people at Sherwood Forest Plantation. Previously, Meredith interned at The Lemon Project, Colonial Williamsburg, and the David Davis Mansion and worked at the Omohundro Institute. Meredith’s research interests include eighteenth and nineteenth century America, African American history, and historical memory.
Michael Jacobs
I grew up in Northern Virginia, where my interest in history was sparked; this led me to study History and Museum Studies at The University of Pittsburgh. I have completed several internships, including The University of Pittsburgh Archives, the Carnegie Science Center, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. I am excited to be continuing my studies at American University in Public History so I can help educate the public and eventually work in the museum field. During COVID, I have tried to get out into nature and have been hiking new trails in the DC area.
Joshua Johnson
Joshua is from the Bronx in New York City. He graduated from Cornell University in 2021 double majoring in Africana Studies and Classics. He is currently the Public History Graduate Fellow in the History of Slavery and its Legacies in Washington, D.C. He is being supervised by the White House Historical Association for his first year and the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University for his second year. Joshua is more broadly interested in topics such as Afrofuturism, fashion curation and collecting, and digital humanities. His experiences have brought him to an archaeological dig in Pompeii, curating two fashion exhibitions, and a curatorial internship at the Penn Museum.
Rebecca Kaliff
Rebecca Kaliff is a second-year Public History MA student from Enfield, Connecticut. She is the 2021-2022 Public History Fellow at AU Library’s Peace Corps Community Archive (PCCA) and a K-12 Education Intern at the White House Historical Association (WHHA). Previously, Rebecca interned with the Education Department at the Heurich House Museum and developed educational curricula for Arlington National Cemetery’s first-ever education program as a History Education Intern with Blake Learning Solutions (BLS). She also has formal educational experience as a former elementary school Teaching Assistant. Rebecca received her BA in History with a minor in Philosophy from American University. Her research interests include U.S. foreign relations, public memory, and museum education.
Karly Lainhart
Karly is a first-year student in the Public History M.A. program. She grew up in Richmond, Kentucky, and graduated with her B.A. in History from Eastern Kentucky University in 2020. While at EKU, she gained experience working in the university’s Special Collections & Archives and developed research interests in the history of women, gender, and sexuality, as well as environmental history. Outside of class, Karly enjoys hiking, exploring National Parks, and visiting the many museums and historic institutions D.C. has to offer.
Emily Lefeber
Emily Lefeber is a second-year student in the Public History MA program. She graduated from the University of Iowa with distinction, earning a dual degree in History and Political Science. While at Iowa, she wrote her undergraduate honors thesis on the work of Iowa women's suffrage associations after the 19th amendment. Throughout her academic career, Emily has interned at several organizations, including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. As a future public historian, she is interested in working in museums and focusing on educational programming and visitor engagement. Her research interests include United States imperialism, citizenship theories, general 20th century US history, and environmental history.
Alyssa Manfredi
Alyssa Manfredi is a first-year public history MA student. She grew up in Northern New Jersey, and received her BA in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In undergrad, she worked with a team of students to research Dr. Daniel Ellsberg through his personal papers. Specifically, Alyssa worked on the decision of The New York Times and other news outlets to publish The Pentagon Papers. Her historical interests include gender studies, Italian cultural studies, and the history of the press and journalism. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys skateboarding, embroidering, and exploring new coffee shops.
Emily Messner
Emily Messner is from Lincoln, Illinois. She received a BA in History and Humanities with a concentration in American Studies from Milligan College in Elizabethton, Tennessee. During college, she worked in the university archives and spent two summers interning at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Emily is now a first year MA student in the Public History program and is a fellow at the American University Library’s Archives and Special Collections, assisting on projects connected to the Peace Corps Community Archive.
Allison Marques
Allison Marques earned her B.A. in History at Skidmore College. As an undergraduate she focused on medical history, oral history, and archiving. After college, Allison spent a year interning with American Conservation Experience at Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah. At the Monument, she updated the onsite paper archive, designed new exhibits on the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, and researched the island’s use as a quarantine station for the city. As a first year graduate student of Public History, she plans to continue her work in archives as well as tour and exhibit creation.
Evan Michales
Evan Michales hails from Montvale, New Jersey but currently splits his time between Lancaster and Lake Silkworth, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College where he majored in history and minored in geology. He was fortunate enough to intern at 15th President James Buchanan’s home, Wheatland, where he created an interactive online map of various mid-eighteenth century industrial centers in Lancaster. When not studying for his public history graduate classes, one can find him composing poetry, thinking about new places to travel to, and investigating the myriad of historical eras he finds himself interested in.
Fontana Micucci
Fontana Micucci grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received her BA in both History and English from Washington & Jefferson College in 2021. Her research interests include popular culture and material culture, with a focus on the Cold War in both the United States and Europe. In addition to her enrollment in the Public History program, Fontana also received an internship in the Department of Learning at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Outside of the classroom, Fontana enjoys traveling, being with friends and family, and exploring Washington, DC, her new home.
Caroline Morales
Caroline Morales graduated from Principia College with her BA in History and Education in 2017. She has been living in DC for the past 4 years working in the museum, education, and media industries. Her academic interests include museum education, modern U.S. history, civil rights history, and community-based history. This year, she is excited to be working as a fellow with AU's Humanities Truck. Outside of school, she loves spending time in nature, listening to Adele on repeat, and finding new cozy places in DC.
Kate Morgan
Kate Morgan is a fifth-year BA/MA student in the Public History program, having obtained her BA in History from AU in May 2020. In addition to Public History, Kate’s historical interests include nineteenth through twentieth century American culture and memory. Previously, Kate interned at the National Constitution Center, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. She was the former DC Preservation League Program Fellow from 2020-2021. Currently, Kate interns part-time at both the National Endowment for the Humanities in the Division of Education Programs and the National Museum of American History in Curatorial Affairs. She also serves as the Conference Manager for the 2022 DC History Conference.
Lillie Ortloff
Lillie Ortloff is a first-year in the Public History Master's program from Minnesota. She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, where she studied History, Public Health, and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. Her research interests include gender and sexuality history, twentieth-century America, and the Holocaust. Her undergraduate thesis was a museum display on how the U.S. government harmed gay immigrants during the AIDS epidemic. Lillie is passionate about a career in collection management and exhibit curation. When not in school, Lillie can be found reading, drinking too much coffee, or playing cribbage.
Mia Owens
Mia is a Public History MA student from Birmingham, Alabama. She received her BA in Global Studies and French from Samford University. In 2019, she joined the AmeriCorps-Ohio History Service Corps as a Local History member for the Trumbull County Historical Society. Mia is the inaugural AU Public History Fellow in the History of Slavery and Its Legacies in Washington, DC. For the first year of the two-year fellowship, she assists the White House Historical Association with their Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood research initiative. During the second year, she will be working with the Antiracist Research and Policy Center.
Katherine Peter
Katherine is from Buffalo, New York and received a B.A. in History and American Studies from SUNY Geneseo before coming to study Public History at AU. While in undergrad she worked on a number of projects related to oral history, including her thesis about blizzards in popular memory. She also had the opportunity to work in the archives of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY where she really got to know Lucille Ball. Her areas of interest include pop-culture history, women's history, and political history. Katherine also works as a tutor in the AU writing center and as an event assistant at Dumbarton House in Georgetown.
Lauren Pfeil
Lauren is enthusiastic about making history more accessible. While an undergraduate student, she adapted and translated materials to accommodate students with visual impairments taking advanced Spanish courses. This experience instilled a passion for working towards greater inclusivity in her career. More recently, Lauren has been the intern for the Annals of Iowa – the journal of the State Historical Society of Iowa – cataloguing and creating metadata in order to enhance the accessibility of issues published pre-Internet. Lauren is a proud alumna of Butler University (B.A. International Studies, Spanish, and Political Science triple major) and a native of Des Moines, Iowa.
Joy Pierce
Joy graduated from Virginia Tech in 2020 with BAs in History and Political Science. Her research interests include: women's history, social history, and the history of the Middle East. In addition to her academic studies, Joy is currently interning with the National Endowment for the Humanities in the Office of Challenge programs which deals with infrastructure and capacity building grants.
Josh Reynolds
Josh Reynolds is a second year MA candidate in the Public History program. A history graduate from the University of North Texas, he is a recent transplant to the DMV area, spending most of his childhood in North Florida and Houston, Texas. He has conducted research of Confederate monuments and memorials, the legacy of slavery in America, and is currently researching African American farmers’ groups during the late 19th century. He hopes to have a varied intern experience, from the Smithsonian Institute to policy-making organization and archives. Outside of class he can be found walking his dog, running, or playing soccer.
Katey Ryan
Katey Ryan is from Naples, Florida. She earned dual degrees in History and Accounting from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in 2022. While at FGCU, she completed a provost sponsored public history project commemorating the university’s 25th anniversary and worked with Everglades National Park’s (EVER) South Florida Collections Management Center for two years. Katey’s research examines EVER’s social and economic impact on the Seminole and Miccosukee Nations in South Florida. In fall 2022, she will begin her first year as the White House Historical Association – Antiracist Research and Policy Center Fellow.
Jane Seibert
Jane Seibert is a first year MA Public History student and received her BA in History from Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, PA). She has interned at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, in their natural history, Plain’s Indian, and western art museums. Her interests are in visual and material culture, as well as 20th century history. Her first exhibit, published while at Susquehanna University, focused on the personal tourism in Yellowstone National Park during the early/mid-20th century. When she isn’t nose deep in a book, she is out photographing and exploring.
Claudia Santa Anna
Raised in Alexandria, Virginia, Claudia Santa Anna graduated from the College of William & Mary with a double major in history and English literature along with a certificate from the NIAHD program in public history and material culture. While at William & Mary, her research focused on the intersection between fashion history and identity expression in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially by marginalized groups such as women and people of color. She has previously interned at Colonial Williamsburg’s Collections Department and with the National Women’s History Museum. In her free time, Claudia loves reading, writing fiction, and spending time at various coffee shops. After graduation, she hopes to work in museum curation.
Caroline Shanley
Caroline Shanley (she/her) is a first-year Public History student from Indianapolis, IN. A 2019 graduate with distinction from Purdue University, Caroline is fascinated by history as a means for building solidarity. Her research interests include women’s and queer history in mid-century America, with a focus on marital roles and laws. Caroline is the 2022-2023 Public History Fellow with American University’s Archives and Special Collections where she assists in curating objects and managing the collection’s social media presence. Since graduating, Caroline has worked in Los Angeles and Washington as a nonprofit fundraiser and copywriter.
Jessica Shainker
Jessica is a first year Public History MA student from Sandy Springs, Georgia. She graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee with a BA in History, concentrating in Public History. While at Rhodes, Jessica worked as a collections intern and curatorial research assistant at the National Civil Rights Museum. After graduating in 2018, she spent time as a civics instructor at the Close Up Foundation and as a high adventure guide in Arkansas. Jessica’s academic interests include Southern history, digital history, and exhibit design. In her free time, she can usually be found running, reading, or drawing in her sketchbook.
Kathryn Shenk
Katy graduated with a BA in history from Washington College in 2021. Her research interests include memory, commemoration, oral history, and U.S. social/cultural history. In addition to her involvement with Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, she has also interned at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Missouri Historical Society, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Katy is currently working as a Graduate Fellow with the Humanities Truck. After graduation, she aspires to work in public programs, research, and/or interpretation at a historic site or institution.
Bryce Thomas
Bryce Thomas was born and raised in Illinois, and grew up in Hawthorn Woods, IL. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Springfield with a BA in History. He is now a graduate student in the Public History Master’s Program at American University. He interned at Colonial Williamsburg. He volunteered at historic sites the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site. Bryce is interested in historic interpretation and historic preservation. Bryce currently works as a history interpreter at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and at Alexandria Colonial Tours conducting ghost tours.
Maddie Tinsley
Maddie Tinsley is a first year MA student in the Public History Program. Maddie graduated from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!) in 2021 with a dual degree in History and International Law. As an undergraduate, Maddie served as a researcher and website editor for www.slaverybr.org and wrote her senior thesis on methods to improve representations of slavery in Louisiana’s plantation museums. As a self-identified museum nerd, moving to D.C. has been a dream come true. Maddie’s academic interests include collective memory of the Revolutionary War and Early Republic, non-traditional forms of historic engagement, and museum curation. She currently works as an educational program intern with the DAR Museum and a museum teacher at Dumbarton House.
Emma Todd
Emma Todd is a first year Public History MA student. She graduated from the New College of Florida with a dual degree in History and German Studies. Her interests include Modern US History, specifically the impact of US nationalism on German immigration and beer production, memory history, and the Weimar Republic. Emma studied abroad in Bad Kreuznach Germany in high school and in Berlin during her undergrad. She hopes to return to Germany after graduation for work or continue her studies. Outside of her studies Emma is an avid reader, loves to bake and cook, and enjoys sewing and puzzles!
Sara Ulanoski
Sara Ulanoski is a second-year Public History Masters student at American University. Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with bachelor's degrees in history and anthropology at the University of Louisville. Sara's interests in history include histories of social justice and social movements in the late 20th century. During undergrad, she wrote her senior thesis on Public History, social justice, and Japanese American redress. Currently, she is a middle school Social Studies teacher at an all-virtual Catholic school based in Virginia. When she graduates, Sara plans to pursue a career in museum education. The projects Sara has completed over her first year--like a virtual walking ghost tour of Georgetown and web enhancements for the Smithsonian's "Girlhood" exhibit--focus on reaching diverse communities to share diverse histories. Sara hopes to continue this exploration of public history and social justice-driven research in her second year.
Claudia Vinci
Claudia is a second year Public History MA student from Brownsburg, Indiana. She graduated from Butler University with a BA in History and Political Science. Her research interests include Chinese history, women’s history, military history, and 20th-century American history. At American, Claudia has researched the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II and is now researching Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian American elected to Congress, and his 1956 campaign. She has interned with the 1882 Foundation as a research assistant and is currently interning at the White House Historical Association in their marketing and communications department. Claudia is interested in getting a PhD in history and aspires to work in museums or the federal government.
Kai Walther
Kai Walther is a BA/MA Public History student. Originally from Iowa, they graduated with their BA in 2020 from American. Kai's research interests include LGBTQ identities and communities, former East Germany, and oral history. They currently serve as a graduate fellow for the Humanities Truck and an Explainer at the National Air and Space Museum. Kai previously interned at the National Museum of American History's archive center and the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archive. Outside of their studies, Kai enjoys biking through Rock Creek Park.
Adara Woodcook
Adara is a first year Public History student from Greensboro, North Carolina. Her research interests include US women’s and LGBT histories as well as historical memory. Adara graduated with distinction from UNC Chapel Hill in 2017 with a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and minors in History and Sexuality Studies, having written an undergraduate thesis on queer liminality in contemporary film. Adara’s background in studio art and k-8 education makes her passionate about experimental museum exhibition and youth outreach. Adara recently enjoyed working with The Schiele Museum of Natural History, particularly on special events (even when this required handling Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches) and currently works as a TA in AU’s American Studies department.
Mengshu Ye
Mengshu Ye grew up in Changchun, China and moved to the US to pursue her college career, where she received her BA from the State University of New York at Binghamton double majoring in History and Asian and Asian American Studies. While at Binghamton, she discovered her interest in public history through museum projects and community engagement. Her research interests include women’s history, Asian and Asian American history, and immigration history. Outside of her studies, she interns for the Girl Museum and the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project.
Alexis Zilen
Alexis is a second year MA student in the Public History Department. She graduated from Gettysburg College in 2020 with a BA in History and Anthropology. Her research interests include material culture, the history of medicine, and race and gender studies. At American, Alexis serves as a graduate fellow for the Humanities Truck, an experimental mobile platform for collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and expanding dialogue around the humanities. She also works for the National Park service as an interpretive ranger at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Alexis is interested in getting a PhD in history and aspires to work as a curator.
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