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Though most students in the Public History Program are students pursuing an MA or PhD in History, students in any graduate program on campus can pursue the graduate certificate in Public History, making for a rich interdisciplinary environment. Below is a list of students who are currently working toward the Certificate in Public History.

Also below are PhD affiliates. On occasion, students who come to UMass to complete an MA in History with the Graduate Certificate in Public History elect to remain at UMass for the PhD. Students also come to UMass for their PhD after having studied public history elsewhere. Some of these students commit one of their three doctoral fields to Public History, and/or pursue dissertations that relate to the history of public history practice; others keep a hand in by participating in projects or contract work, and still others simply remain a resource in public history to their fellow students. Some of these PhD students are completing traditional dissertations while launching careers as public historians. Whatever direction their work takes after completing their certificates, we enjoy ongoing relationships with these students, and consider them part of our larger community of public historians on the UMass campus.

This page is intended to give a sense of the range and focus of work and career objectives among students in the Public History program. You may write to current students via email or care of the Department of History, Herter Hall, University of Massachusetts,161 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA 01003.

Curious about what kind of careers you can have with training from UMass public history? Check out our public history alumni profiles.

Certificate Students

Masters Student

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Katelyn Boss is a Masters Student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
Student with short brown hair and glasses wearing a jacket outdoors

Master's Student, Public History Student, Public History Internships and Career Associate

photo of Ellie Kinsman
Ellie Kinsman is a Master's student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
photo of Ellie Kinsman

Ph.D. Student, Public History Student

A headshot of Rebecca McClung
Rebecca McClung is a Ph.D. student in the History Department at UMass Amherst.
A headshot of Rebecca McClung

Ph.D. Student, Public History Student

Headshot of Ph.D. student Becca Lo Presti
Becca Lo Presti is a Ph.D. student in the History Department at UMass Amherst.
Headshot of Ph.D. student Becca Lo Presti

Master's Student, Public History Student

Headshot of Foster Duckworth
Foster Duckworth is a Master's student in history and public history.
Headshot of Foster Duckworth

Master's Student, Public History Student

Headshot of Yaeli Almader
Yaeli Almader is a Master's student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
Headshot of Yaeli Almader

Master's Student

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Sophia Ortega is a Master's student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
UMass collegiate M maroon on gray

Public History Student

Photo of PhD Student Anaëlle Cama
Anaëlle Cama is a Ph.D. student in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies.
Photo of PhD Student Anaëlle Cama

Public History Student

photo of I'Maya Gibbs
I'Maya Gibbs is a Ph.D. student in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies.
photo of I'Maya Gibbs

Ph.D. Student, Public History Student

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Jessica Scott is a Ph.D. Student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
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Ph.D. Student, Public History Student

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Elizabeth Pangburn is a Ph.D. Student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
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PhD Affiliates

Ph.D. Candidate (ABD), Public History Student

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Ross Caputi is a Ph.D. student in Modern U.S. and Italian history, with special interests in the U.S. wars in Iraq and the social and cultural history of southern Italy.
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Ph.D. Student | Communications Associate

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UMass collegiate M maroon on gray

Public History Student

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reid ellefson-frank
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Public History Student

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Olivia Haynes is a Graduate Student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
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Ph.D. Candidate (ABD)

A color photograph of Alison Russell wearing a blazer and smiling against a neutral background
A color photograph of Alison Russell wearing a blazer and smiling against a neutral background

Ph.D. Candidate (ABD), Public History Student

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Jaehee Seol is a PhD student studying modern Chinese history.
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Ph.D. Candidate (ABD), Public History Student

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Guanhua Tan is a Ph.D. Student in the History Department at UMass Amherst
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Public History Student

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abby thomsen
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