Public History Students

Eliza Ahrens: M.A. Candidate
I graduated from the University of Iowa with degrees in Medieval History and Religious Studies. In an effort to get as much mileage as possible out of my in-state tuition, I added a minor in Anthropology and completed the museum studies certificate program. Although my senior year took me out of the history department for the majority of my coursework, I was constantly intrigued by the linkages I was finding between disciplines. I became interested in depictions of the Middle Ages in popular culture, and, particularly, medievalism in fantasy fiction for young adults. My experience in various museum education programs made me aware of the incredible power of Public History to drawn meaningful connections between the past and present. I chose the program here at UMass because of its commitment to engaging diverse approaches advancing the field. I hope to gain experience teaching and writing history, and am thrilled to be surrounded by people who love history as much as I do.

Christopher Benning: Ph.D. Candidate
I had a good sense of what I wanted to study in graduate school. I was concerned, however, that I would have to develop my own curriculum at my own peril. The information related to the Public History Program on the University of Massachusetts History Department website was nothing short of an epiphany. It articulated exactly my interest in a course of study combining theory and praxis that went beyond conventional programs in history and museum studies. Having studied at Amherst College, I was also keenly aware of the tremendous resources available through the Five College Consortium, both academically and culturally. For students of history, the Pioneer Valley is an embarrassment of riches in research opportunities and practical experience, whether archival, teaching or museum work. In terms of intellectual atmosphere and physical environment, Amherst has the cultural amenities of a cosmopolitan city without the urban hassles; it’s the best of both worlds and ideal for scholarship. Having lived in busy metropolises most of my life, I cherish Amherst’s quality of life, the accessibility of its resources, and its sense of community and place.

Amanda Goodheart: M.A. Candidate
My introduction to public history came during my sophomore year at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. As an American History and Secondary Education double major, I rarely had the opportunity to take an elective outside my required course of study, so when the history department offered a special topics class on public history during my one free semester, I enrolled on a whim. It was during that class that I discovered my love of teaching history could reach far beyond the walls of a traditional high school classroom and into the world of museums, historic sites, and historical societies, and I've been a public historian ever since. Over the past several years I have had the privilege of interning at the Preservation Society of Newport County, the Newport Historical Society, the Newport Restoration Foundation, Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea, Historic Deerfield, and Strawbery Banke Museum in a variety of positions ranging from public programming to archives to exhibit design, though musuem education will always remain closest to my heart. I chose the UMass Public History program both for its reputation of combining theory and practice as well as its picturesque location in the heart of the historic Pioneer Valley. I hope to one day combine my educational background with the knowledge and skills of a public historian to bridge the gap between public schools and museums through field trips, curriculum development, and other outreach programs.

Kayla Haveles: M.A. Candidate
I entered the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA trying to decide between a major in either History or English. I chose History, but always kept English close. The intertwining of these two components became the basis for my undergraduate thesis, where I examined the role the written word played in the development of the political consciousness of Northern women during the Civil War. Upon graduation I wanted to maintain a focus in history, and an internship at Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA the summer before my senior year opened my eyes to all the opportunities museums offer to involve the public, from education and community outreach programs, to archives, to exhibits. While looking for grad schools, I stumbled upon a program called Public History that actually focused on areas such as writing for all audiences and museum studies. The decision to apply to the well-established Public History program at Umass was an easy one.  Here I could study the synthesis of history, literature, and culture that I found so fascinating, and learn more about how I can bring history to the public in an educational, engaging, and relevant way.

Jennifer Kleinman: Ph.D. Candidate
The Public History program was recommended to me by an undergraduate adviser as an option to explore my interests in museum exhibitions, archaeology, and education. While at UMass, my focus shifted from museum education to public education and I studied public and education policy as my track within the Public History program. Combined with fields in U.S. imperialism and U.S. immigration, my time at UMass has centered on understanding how U.S. history has been taught and how it shapes national memory and our concepts of American identities.

Kristin Lailey: M.A. Candidate
I am interested in how history is taught in elementary and secondary schools, and also in how museum staff and teachers can work together to make museums exciting and engaging places in which children can learn about history. After completing my M.A., I would like to earn my B.Ed. and work on developing and running “museum school” programs. 

Laura Miller: Ph.D. Candidate
I graduated from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2005 with a B.A. in History. From my first work experience as a tour guide at Ash Lawn-Highland in Charlottesville, Virginia, I have continually sought to bolster my education in history with work experience in the realm of public history. In the summer of 2005 I worked as an intern at the Margaret Sanger Papers Project at New York University and then spent a year as an Acquisitions Assistant at the University of Pennsylvania Press. While working at Penn Press I studied oral history and conducted my own oral history project, an experience that introduced me to the challenges and rewards of such nontraditional methods of historical inquiry. My focus in the Public History Program is on oral history and memory, and my research interests include 20th century U.S. history and urban history in both the United States and Europe. This program has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to further explore these interests while also developing the practical skills necessary to pursue a career as a public historian.

Jessica Monti : M.A. Candidate
I graduated with a BA in Economics and History from UMass Amherst and thought that I was heading into the business world.  However, I felt as if I was traveling down the wrong path so one month after graduation, I began working at UMass as full-time staff.  I knew that if I strayed far from the university setting, I might not return.  One day, while considering my options that included finding a masters program or settling down in among the ranks of full-timers, I stumbled on the Public History web sight.  It seemed to me that I found a program that matched my interests and personality and now I am excited to see where this path will take me.

Aimee Newell: Ph.D. Candidate
I am beginning my Ph.D. studies at UMass almost ten years after earning my M.A. in History from Northeastern University. I attended Amherst College as an undergrad and did my first museum internships during the summers after my junior and senior years. I am currently the Curator of Textiles and Fine Arts at Old Sturbridge Village; prior to coming to the Village, I was the Curator of Collections at the Nantucket Historical Association and completed internships at SPNEA, Jamestown Settlement, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and Independence National Historical Park. I chose to pursue my doctorate to improve my analytical and writing skills, as well as to become an expert on one small part of American history through my dissertation. I look forward to developing a dissertation topic that combines a material culture approach with the more traditional historical tools of documentary research. The UMass history department offers great flexibility in designing a program of study along with the opportunity to work with a fascinating community of historians - faculty and students.

Stephanie Pasternak
My interest in community history began during my years as an ESL teacher in a public high school in Boston where I worked with immigrant students on community oral history projects and adapted the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum to address student needs. More recently, my work with the grassroots women's oral history project, the Valley Women's History Collaborative, as well as the historical commission in Cummington, Massachusetts has raised for me questions about the role of the professional historian as an insider or outsider of a community as well as the impact the ethnocultural background of the community and historian has on the process and outcome of a project. In September 2003, together with my fellow graduate student Margo Shea and program director Marla Miller, I presented the results of some sustained thinking on these and related issues, cultivated in a directed readings course on community and local history, to the national meeting of the American Association for State and Local History in Providence, Rhode Island. In summer 2005 I served as a panelist at a Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities conference on writing local history, "'Outside the Textbook: Writing History for Everyone," discussing my effort to write a scholarly but accessible narrative of notable moments in the history of Cummington, Massachusetts.


Sandra Perot: Ph.D. Candidate
I came to UMASS for a Master's Degree in History because of the Public History program.  The focus at UMASS on the importance of landscape and community allows public history students to visualize history, and more importantly, how to help the public visualize history as well.  With an MA in English Literature and an MA in teaching from San Jose State University, and an AB in English from Princeton University, I spent several years teaching high school English and American Literature, though I've always incorporated a cultural approach to teaching literature.  After becoming involved as a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum here in Amherst, I wanted to find out more about what makes museums work and how to make museums successful.  Public History, for me, is the perfect blend of history, culture, and literature.  My focus at UMASS will be on Early America, Early Modern Europe (transatlantic influences on colonies,) and Public History.  Having spent a year in New Zealand and Australia and a year in Holland, I always yearn for new adventures and am looking to do an international internship for my Public History certificate.  Along with traveling, I also enjoy learning Dutch, focusing on my photography, knitting and playing with my kids.  


Kate Preissler: M.A. Candidate
I graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, ME in 2003, double majoring in History and English.  I've always been interested in the idea of storytelling and conveying history through literature and was happy to be able to explore their interconnectedness in my undergraduate research.  During my time at Bates I also became very involved outside of my studies in community building efforts in Lewiston.  After college I spent some time as a creative writing teacher, a writer, and finally, a director of a large youth program that had a significant environmental learning component.  I've come to strongly believe that when people feel connected to a place, they are more likely to take pride in it and care for it as stewards.  Because of this, I'm now looking to learn more about forging those connections between people and the places in which they live by means of history and the storytelling tradition.  I'm also pursuing methods of using historical preservation as a means for economic and community stimulation; including restoring historic buildings for private use rather than public destination.  Finally, I would love to join the ranks of those who can write history in a way that is accessible and enjoyable to non-historians.  I came to UMass specifically for the Public History program and am very excited to begin my journey. 


Michael Shapiro: Ph.D. Candidate
I am working towards a Ph.D. in United States history, focusing on the period between the Civil War and the present. My research is in urban history, examining New York City's Union Square. I previously earned a Master's Degree in history from New York University where I focused on public history. The dynamic public history program at U Mass has allowed me to stay connected to the field. I recently won an Honor Award in Research and Communication from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects for a Website I developed with Greg Tuzollo, an MLA student in the Landscape Architecture Program. My comps fields are likely to be United States cultural history with David Glassberg, urban history with Max Page, and twentieth-century Latin American history with a yet to be determined professor. I am currently working with Heather Cox-Richardson on a portion of my dissertation. I earned a B.A. in History and a B.S. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin. When not studying, I travel as much as possible. I recently drove cross-country, went to Paris, and am planning a trip to South Africa. When in western Massachusetts, I spend my free time practicing Bikram Yoga, renovating my apartment, and socializing with friends. For Mike's award winning interactive tour of Kaaterskill's landscape and cultural significance, first conceived as a final project in Professor Ethan Carr's Cultural Landscapes seminar, click to http://kaaterskillproject.org/.


Justin Shatwell: M.A. Candidate
I was introduced to Public History through the Cane River National Heritage Area in Natchitoches, Louisiana. During my two and a half years with this institution, I worked primarily on publications: writing brochures, editing manuscripts, and creating the text for web pages. I discovered that writing history for the public involved far more than stating facts and building a chronology. In order to keep things interesting, one must learn to embrace the "story" aspect of history. At UMass, I helped pioneer the new "writing" track, learning the finer points of writing for a general audience and how to balance the entertainment and education aspects of our discipline. After an internship at the University Press of Florida, I landed a position at Yankee Magazine while I finish up my degree.


Karen Shinkawa: M.A. Candidate
I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in History. While I was there, I worked closely with the Women's Studies department and two other students to create a website and brochure on the history of women at my alma mater. The experience of writing for people outside of academia and presenting history to others led me to this program. By taking the experiences I brought with me and immersing myself in a new place and in a subject I am passionate about, I hope to become a better rounded scholar.


Evan Sipher: M.A. Candidate
I completed my undergraduate degree with a BA in history from Tulane University in 2004. I always knew that I wanted to continue my studies in history, but I had to take a couple years off to decide just how I wanted to do so. During my time off I often helped a friend and film student with his projects and became greatly interested in the making of film. So when I discovered public history it truly excited me. It fit perfectly with my interests in both history and film. Here at the UMASS program I have sought to learn about documentary film, a medium that I believe becomes more important as it plays an increasingly significant role within popular culture. However, after helping create a website in the introductory course about the history of Athol, MA for the Miller’s River Environmental Center, I have also developed an interest in multi-media museum production. I love the visually creative possibilities that are incorporated in both documentary film and multi-media production.


Margo Shea: M.A. Candidate
Margo Shea graduated in 1994 from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied urban history and community development. She has worked in community-based nonprofit housing organizations and in an array of higher education institutions, building campus-community partnerships and coordinating service-learning and civic engagement programs. She became interested in public history while living and working in Derry, Northern Ireland from 1998-2000, where history, memory and public life are inextricably intertwined. When asked why she chose to pursue a master's degree in the Public History program, Margo said she was, "attracted by the quality of the faculty, the diversity at UMASS and the unique blend of structure and freedom the program promised." Current areas of specialization include modern urban U.S. history, oral history and community and local history. In Spring and Summer 2004, Margo completed an internship in Derry, Northern Ireland, where she worked "to discover the stories, ideas, political statements, griefs, triumphs and battles within this city and over this city," to learn "what is remembered, stated, articulated, and just as importantly, what isn't." She completed the requirement for her public history M.A. in 2004, and recently returned to UMass Amherst to write a Ph.D. dissertation on History and memory in Derry. She would be glad to talk with anyone about the UMass Public History program.