Category / Undergraduate Students

by abritt

History Major Isabel Coyle Wins George P. Cuttino Scholarship

Congratulations to junior History Major Isabel Coyle on winning a George P. Cuttino Scholarship for Independent Research Abroad. Coyle will conduct research in France for her Honors thesis over the summer of 2022. She will also be a Halle Institute Undergraduate Global Research Fellow. Her working title is “Immigration, Race, and Assimilation in France, 1962-1975.”

She writes that Prof. Judith A. Miller’s “support has helped me so much, and I have such great memories from the French Revolution class as well as the Origins of Capitalism class.” She owes “a lot to Dr. Maria Montalvo, who taught the first history class I ever took at Emory and is one of the reasons I decided to major in history.”

The prize is named for Prof. George Cuttino (1914-1991), who taught at Emory for 32 years. He was a beloved professor and held the Candler Chair in Medieval History. He was a two-time Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and chaired the Emory History Department in the early 1970’s before retiring in 1984.

The summer fellowship recipients will present their research to the department at an event this coming fall semester.

by abritt

Loren & Gail Starr Award in Experiential Learning Awarded to History Major Kheyal Roy-Meighoo

The Department of History is delighted to award one of the new Loren & Gail Starr Awards in Experiential Learning to Honors student and film studies major Kheyal Roy-Meighoo for the Summer of 2022. She will create short animated film, “Backwards,” about the historical connections between the Covid-19 pandemic and Asian exclusion laws.

Kheyal’s work in stop motion films has been winning praise. Last December, she received the Women in Film and Television Atlanta 2021 Scholarship. Recent projects include “The Great Escape” & “My Bunny’s Story.” Check out her YouTube channel: www.tinyurl.com/KheyalRM.

She writes that “All of the History faculty I have taken classes from have been fantastic!” and praises the department for being so supportive. “It has always encouraged me to draw on my love of film in my historical studies,” she explains. She expressed special thanks to her advisor, Prof. Chris Suh, who has encouraged Kheyal to make films since her first year at Emory. Kheyal notes that “Not only has he taught me so much about Asian American history, but he has taught me how Asian American filmmakers have tacked historical (and current) social and political issues.”

Established in 2022 through a generous donation, the Loren & Gail Starr Award provides summer funding for experiential learning projects proposed by History majors, joint majors, or minors​. The Starr Award is intended to support students who wish to use the knowledge and skills they have acquired in history courses to create or participate in projects in settings outside of the classroom. Bold, creative, and off-the-beaten path proposals are encouraged. The only rule is that engagement with the past be central to the experience undertaken by the student. We will offer a second round of these awards in the fall. 

We look forward to seeing “Backwards” at the end of the summer! This fall, all of the winners of our summer funding awards will make presentations on their projects and their research experiences to the History Department. 

by abritt

History Major Wittika Chaplet Wins George P. Cuttino Scholarship

Congratulations to junior History Major Wittika Chaplet on winning a George P. Cuttino Scholarship for Independent Research Abroad. Chaplet will conduct research in France and Burkina Faso for her Honors thesis over the summer of 2022. Her working title is “West African Visions of a Verdant Urban Future: A Microhistory of Burkina Faso’s Urban Gardens.”

She writes that “Dr. Clifton Crais, Dr. Thomas Rogers, Dr. Mariana Candido, & Dr. Susan Gagliardi have been wonderfully supportive through the process of proposing my honor’s thesis.” Moreover, “Dr. Anouar El Younssi supported me from the very beginning of my time at Emory & has been immensely helpful over the past three years.”

The prize is named for Prof. George Cuttino (1914-1991), who taught at Emory for 32 years. He was a beloved professor and held the Candler Chair in Medieval History. He was a two-time Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and chaired the Emory History Department in the early 1970’s before retiring in 1984.

The summer fellowship recipients will present their research to the department at an event this coming fall semester.

by abritt

History Major Alex Levine Wins George P. Cuttino Prize in European History

Congratulations to Emory History major Alex Levine, who has won the George P. Cuttino Prize in European history. The Prize is given to the graduating senior with the best record in European History.  Levin will teach English in Greenland next year on a Fulbright.

Levine notes that Dr. Brian Vick has been an extremely important, intellectually stimulating, and caring mentor. Dr. Tonio Andrade and Dr. Teresa Davis have also been valuable mentors and role models. The encouragement of these three professors has been very meaningful to Alex. Among the most influential classes he took were Dr. Andrade’s “China & the World” colloquium, which has helped him better conceptualize the modern “West,” and Dr. Tehila Sasson’s graduate course, “After Empire.”

This prize was established in 1984 to honor Professor George P. Cuttino on the occasion of his retirement after thirty-two years’ service in the Department of History.

The award will be officially presented at the department’s Senior Celebration on Wednesday, April 27.

by abritt

History Majors Charak, Coleman, Levitt, and Russell Initiated into Phi Beta Kappa

 Hannah, Ben, & Chanelle are pictured here, along with Haley Rubin, who has taken many History Dept. courses. Ayriel Coleman not pictured here.

Four History majors were recently initiated into the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Emory. They are: Hannah Charak, Ayriel Coleman, Ben Levitt, and Channelle Russell. They were among just 35 Emory seniors inducted into the organization. Phi Beta Kappa’s Gamma Chapter of Georgia was established at Emory University on April 5th, 1929. Congratulations!

by abritt

Payne Wins 2022 Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award

Congratulations to Dr. Matthew J. Payne, Associate Professor of History, on winning the 2022 Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award. This award was established by Emory Williams, a 1932 Emory College alumnus and long-time trustee, and recognizes faculty who strive for excellence in teaching, curriculum development, pedagogy, and educational innovation. The award recognizes faculty members who teach undergraduate students at Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Goizueta Business School, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and Oxford College. Dr. Payne has excelled in fostering participation, inquiry, and creative expression in the classroom, exemplified the highest quality of teaching scholarship through teaching and mentoring students, retained a continual record of outstanding accomplishment and ongoing commitment to teaching, and made significant contributions that impact and advance Emory. Payne will be recognized at the 2022 Commencement ceremony.

by abritt

History Honors Student Becca Frischling Wins James L. Roark Prize in American History

Many congratulations to Emory History Honors student, Becca Frischling, who has won the James L. Roark Prize in American History for summer travel to the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York, NY. She’s working on politically-oriented theatrical and choral organizations within the early-20th century Yiddish labor movement. Her working title is ”Freedom in Song: Examining the Workmen’s Circle, Choral Music, & Theater within the American Yiddish Labor Movement, 1921-1939.” Prof. Jonathan Prude is her Honors director.

She is especially grateful to Dr. Prude for his guidance. She writes that she has “taken 2 great classes with him.” She has also enjoyed classes with Prof. Eric Goldstein, Prof. Jason Ward, & Prof. Judith Miller.

The award honors James L. Roark, who was the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of American History and taught at Emory from 1983 to 2016. A first generation college student, Professor Roark embarked on an academic journey that took him from community college to Nigeria with the Peace Corps, to Stanford for his doctorate, and to Emory as one of his generation’s most influential historians of the American South. Professor Roark was, above all, a steward of the Emory community, having mentored hundreds of undergraduate students, advised groundbreaking theses, and served two terms as Department Chair. Prior to his retirement, Professor Roark was known throughout the Emory community as a revered professor, trusted colleague, and beloved mentor. As such, the James L. Roark Prize is not only an invitation to conduct research, but also a charge to honor Professor Roark’s legacy of service to the Emory community. Former students Ben Leiner and Naveed Amalfard led the effort to create this fellowship in 2016.

This fall, all of the winners of our summer funding awards will make presentations on their projects and their summer research experiences to the History Department. We look forward to hearing about Becca’s summer! Many congratulations, again, Becca!

by abritt

Loren and Gail Starr Award in Experiential Learning Given to History Major Matthew Croswhite

The Department of History is delighted to award one of the new Loren & Gail Starr Awards in Experiential Learning to Emory History major Matthew Croswhite for the Summer of 2022. He will create a website about the Emory mascot, Dooley, and its possible link to the cadaver trade associated with Emory’s School of Medicine. He’s exploring the broader context of the possible racist practices by the school that influenced the creation of Dooley. His tentative title is “Skeletons in the Closet: Emory University’s Position in the Illicit Cadaver Trade and the History of Dooley the Skeleton.”

He explains that, “My directed study with Dr. [Matthew] Payne has been the most impactful on my experience as a history major and in developing my understanding of the field of history. The 398R Research Tutorial I took with Dr. Payne last spring particularly has been a great boon in the development of this project, for the focus of this research was also Dooley.”

Established in 2022 through a generous donation, the Loren and Gail Starr Award provides summer funding for experiential learning projects proposed by History majors, joint majors, or minors​. The Starr Award is intended to support students who wish to use the knowledge and skills they have acquired in history courses to create or participate in projects in settings outside of the classroom. Bold, creative, and off-the-beaten path proposals are encouraged. The only rule is that engagement with the past be central to the experience undertaken by the student. We will offer a second round of these awards in the fall.

We look forward to seeing Matt’s website at the end of the summer! This fall, all of the winners of our summer funding awards will make presentations on their projects and their research experiences to the History Department. Many congratulations, again, Matt!

Some of you might know that Matt’s mother, Prof. Annette Finley-Croswhite, earned her doctorate in French History at Emory. We were so happy when Matt chose to come to Emory and then to Major in History!

by abritt

History Honors Student Gabriele K. Kim Wins the Theodore H. Jack Award

Congratulations to Emory History Honors student Gabriele K. Kim, who has won the Theodore H. Jack Award for the Summer of 2022. Gabriele will travel to the Virginia Davis Laskey Library Archives in Nashville, TN, to conduct research on her project, “Transpacific Encounters: Southern Methodist Women and the Chinese Missionary Enterprise (1880-1920).” 

She is very grateful for the support of Prof. Chris Suh, her thesis director, throughout her entire college career. She was able to work on her first research project with him last year through SIRE program (2020-2021). She took “HIST 285: Asian American History” in her first year and most recently took “HIST 488: Transpacific Life.” She writes that she “really loved talking ‘HIST 385: American Conservatisms’ with Dr. Joseph Crespino, and Dr. Kate Rosenblatt’s ‘Religion & the Constitution’ course. Still, picking one favorite professor or classes is too hard because they are all so wonderful!”

The Department of History is able to award these funds because Mrs. Mary Spencer Jack Craddock (’33C) made a contribution to Emory in honor of her father, Theodore Henley Jack, in 1992.  Prof. Jack was an historian and early Emory history faculty member. In 1916 he was selected to head the Department of History of the new Emory College. He became Dean of the Graduate School in 1919, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 1920, and Vice-president of Emory University in 1929. Mrs. Craddock’s gift honors her father’s commitment to Emory and to historical scholarship.

This fall, all of the winners of our summer funding awards will make presentations on their projects and their summer research experiences to the History Department. We look forward to hearing about Gabi’s summer! Many congratulations, again, Gabi!

https://www.facebook.com/HistoryAtEmory/posts/460728405848011
by abritt

History Major Bronwen Boyd Named 2022 Graduating Woman of Excellence

Congratulations to History major Bronwen Boyd on being named a 2022 Graduating Woman of Excellence by the Center for Women at Emory. Each year the Center invites the community to identify graduating women who have demonstrated great effort, strength of character, and excellence in their time at Emory. Boyd was among 50 outstanding graduates from across Emory’s college, graduate, and professional school divisions honored at a pinning ceremony on March 24.