The Center for Public History

Alumni

CLASS OF 2020

Jessica R. Markey (Blog) I received a B.A. in History and American Indian Studies from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. I am a citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and my research interests include Native American history, diplomacy, race/ethnicity, and identity. My undergraduate honors thesis concerns the life and legacy of Moses Tunda Tatamy, an 18th century Delaware/Lenape diplomat. I have interned at Pennsbury Manor, the country estate of William Penn, where I researched the relationship between Penn and local American Indians to assist in the development of interpretive programs. Internship: American Philosophical Society‘s Martin L. Levitt Fellow; Currently at the University of North Carolina 

Alanna Shaffer (Blog) Shaffer earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts at Sarah Lawrence College, where she took the liberal arts idea to heart and studied everything from theatre and writing to Spanish and sociology. She’s cultivated a love for public history working as a Tour Guide at Eastern State Penitentiary, using interpretation of the prison’s history as a lens for discussing contemporary issues of incarceration. For the past three years at Eastern State, Alanna has also assisted in the development of the Returning Citizens Tour Guide program, an award-winning program which hires formerly incarcerated individuals to give tours of the site while incorporating their lived experience of incarceration.

CLASS OF 2019

Joy Feagan (Blog)  I received my B.A. in History from New College of Florida in 2016. My undergraduate thesis focused on the role of media–especially film–in the promotion of consumerism in the post-WWII United States. I have interned at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, Mote Marine Laboratory’s Arthur Vining Davis Library, the Historical Society of Sarasota County, and the Anna Maria Island Historical Society. My main historical interest is the 20th century United States, specifically the influence of media on memory-creation. Internship: Tampa Baseball Museum; Currently at: the Ringling 

GVGK Tang (Blog) I graduated summa cum laude from Temple in 2017 with a B.A. in history and sociology, and a minor in LGBT studies. I specialize in transnational queer history and politics, nascent community-building, and identity construction. I have interned at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, curating “‘One Manly Soul’: White Masculinities in Late Colonial America” in collaboration with the Digital Paxton Project. With historian Jonathan Ned Katz, I developed a web-based timeline of queer activism for OutHistory.org. I have presented work at the National Council on Public History and Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. My article “‘Sex in the Archives’: The Politics of Processing & Preserving Pornography in the Digital Age” is forthcoming in the journal The American Archivist. Internship:National Museum of American History; Currently at: TZ Production

CLASS OF 2018

Derek Duquette (blog).  I received a dual degree in History and German from West Chester University in 2016.  My thesis looked at religion’s differentiating role in the early 20^th Century American and British versus German eugenics movements. I interned with the Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance and the Elwyn School, creating and adding to their archives and finding aids respectively, and writing grant proposals for the latter’s future endeavors. My professional interests include archival preservation, American history of disability, and more broadly American history of oppression. Internship: National Park Service: Northeast Regional Office; Currently at: OAH-National Park Service Collaboration

Derek Engle (blog).  I studied at James Madison University, where I completed my BA in History. I am primarily interested in the French and Indian War, the art and science of fortification, and material culture. I also like classical Greece and Greek warfare. I interned at the America on Wheels Museum in Allentown and at the Lisanby Museum at JMU, where I researched and classified unknown objects in the collection. Internship: Valley Forge National Historical Park

Cynthia Heider (blog).   I received my B.A. in History from Goucher College. My work and internship experiences at the Maryland State Archives, Towson University Special Collections and Archives, and Preservation Maryland have centered on increasing the accessibility of primary source materials. I enjoy working with the public and volunteer as a visitor services assistant at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. My areas of interest include urban history as well as digital initiatives in history and the humanities. Internship: American Philosophical Society‘s Martin L. Levitt Fellow

Charlie Hersh (blog).  I received my BA in Religion from Temple in 2015, where I also earned a Certificate in Spanish. I currently work in the Education Department at the National Museum of American Jewish History, where I coordinate a school program about Eastern European immigration to the US at the turn of the 20th century. I love finding different ways to connect students with history, especially through non-dominant narratives and object-based learning.  Internship: African American Museum in Philadelphia; Currently working at the National Museum of American Jewish History

Ted Maust (blog).  I earned a B.A. in History and English at Goshen College (Ind.), writing my thesis on John F. Funk, a Mennonite entrepreneur and newspaperman in Civil War-era Chicago. I’ve interned as a Wikipedian, worked on a digital library with a professor, and worked for 4 years at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, working in a variety of roles including textbook editor. My academic interests (in addition to Public History) are Mennonite/Anabaptist History, East African History, and cultural criticism.  Internship: Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks; Currently working at Eastern State Penitentiary

Chelsea Reed (blog).  I received a dual degree in American Studies and Jazz Vocal Performance from Temple University in 2015, where I wrote my thesis on the South Philadelphia jazz club scene in the mid-20th century. I manage my own bands, while singing for other ensembles in and around Philadelphia. I’m also an Educator/Interpreter at the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation in Newtown Square and in Spring of 2016, I interned at the American Philosophical Society as a Digital Research Assistant. I’m especially interested in combining music and history in educational outreach and using public history as a means of community collaboration within the city of Philadelphia.  Internship: National Archives at Philadelphia; Currently working at the American Philosphical Society

John E. Smith (blog).  In May 2016 I graduated from West Chester University where I earned my B.A. in Political Science and History. During my time at West Chester, I worked on the award-winning Goin’ North project and frequently wrote for ExplorePaHistory. I also interned at Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford, Pa and Valley Forge National Historical Park. My research interests include 19th century U.S. political history, social movements, digital history, and memory. Internship: Art at the Airport, City of Philadelphia; Currently working at Temple Library’s Special Collections Research Center

CLASS OF 2017

Jacob Grossman (blog). I received my B.A in History from Temple University in 2014. My primary interests include 18th century Military, Colonial America, and Public History. Currently, I volunteer at Carpenters’ Hall, which is an independent historic site within the boundaries of Independence National Historical Park, where I interpret both the history of the building and the significant events that took place there for the public. Internship: Carpenters’ Hall; Employer: Museum of the American Revolution

Alaina McNaughton (blog).  I received my B.A. in History from Temple University. Here, I wrote my senior thesis on the Women’s Pavilion at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, and as a result, I am especially interested in Centennial Philadelphia. In addition, my time at Temple and as a volunteer at the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site has piqued my interests in the National Park Service, house museums, material culture, and educational outreach. Internship: National Park Service: Northeast Regional Office

Patrick Shank (blog). I received my B.A. in History from Saint Joseph’s University in 2015. I have interned at the U.S. Navy Museum in Washington, D.C. as well as the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center. My areas of interest include Cold War history and archives.  Internship: Independence Seaport Museum; Employer: the Dietrich W. Botstiber Foundation

Sarah Sutton (blog).  I have a BA in Anthropology from West Chester University, where I minored in History and Art History. I’ve worked at the Chester County Historical Society and interned at the Mutter Museum. But even before my time at the Mutter, I’d always been intrigued by the macabre and dark tourism sites—sites of death, disaster, and dark history.  My specific interests are visitor studies, collection management, and tourism. Internship: Chemical Heritage Foundation

Stevi Williams (blog).  I received a B.A. in History from Valdosta State University in December of 2014. There my senior thesis focused on the life of Dr. H. H. Holmes and the violence portrayed in the media during the time of his arrest. I have worked as a pharmacy technician for the last eight years and as a waitress in my mother’s small town café.  Growing up and working in the café I came to appreciate interacting with the public and learning of their interpretations of past events and local history. This is what led to my passion of public history. My areas of interest include: the intersection of violence, race, and gender; history in film and pop culture; and working with the public. Internship: Philadelphia International Airport: Art at the Airport

CLASS OF 2016

Joana Arruda (blog). I received my B.A. in History from The College of New Jersey, where I wrote my senior thesis on the experiences of American military nurses during the Vietnam War. I have interned at The Museum of Jewish Heritage;  The National Archives at Philadelphia; and at The Galveston Historical Foundation where I inventoried and cataloged the Foundation’s collections. Primarily, my research interests include public history, material culture, and Cold War and Vietnam War histories.  Internship: Independence National Historical Park; Employer:  International Council on Monuments and Sites, Paris

 
Grace DiAgostino (blog). I completed my B.A. in History at Temple University, and am an archives technician trainee and a member of the Education Department at the National Archives at Philadelphia. During the Spring 2014 semester I worked as an undergraduate research assistant with the Philadelphia Public History Truck. I am especially interested in community history, educational outreach, and how history can be used to make meaningful connections with the present.  Internship: The Woodlands, Employer: The National Archives Philadelphia

Maegan Pollinger (blog). I received my B.A. in History from Rowan University in 2013. During my time at Rowan I interned at the Atlantic County Historical Society, and the Whitall House in National Park, NJ. During Summer 2014 I worked as an interpreter at Historic Cold Spring Village, which is a living history museum in New Jersey. My areas of interest are public history and educational outreach. Internship: Historic Cold Spring Village, Employer: Curator, Historic Cold Springs Village