Graduate Students | University of Houston

Current Graduate Students

Asher González-Ortiz Attends UT Institute in Paleography
Asher González-Ortiz attended the 2026 LLILAS Benson Spanish Paleography + Digital Humanities Institute at the University of Texas, where he received training relevant to his research on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Puerto Rico.
Chase Norton Wins International Dissertation Fellowship
Chase Norton received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council fellowship from the Canadian government. The fellowship provides three years of funding for his doctoral studies in History at UH.
Miranda Ruzinsky Selected for Gilda Slifka Internship Program

Miranda Ruzinsky has been selected for the Gilda Slifka Internship Program at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute at Brandeis University for summer 2025.
Fadi Kafeety Holds Prestigious Fellowship in Jordan

Fadi Kafeety was awarded a doctoral fellowship for 2024-25 by the American Center of Research from the Council of American Overseas Research Centers for a research year in Amman.
John O. King Award Goes to Dmitrii Blyshko

Dmitrii Blyshko (Right) won the 2025 John O. King Award for outstanding graduate student in History, which he received from Director of Graduate Studies Dr. Raúl A. Ramos.
Heather Butina-Sutton Presents Research in Princeton Roundtable

Heather Butina-Sutton was an invited speaker at the History and Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship Spring Roundtable at Princeton University.
Valeria González Wins Lydia Mendoza Fellowship

Valeria González won a Lydia Mendoza Fellow from the UH Center for Mexican American and Latino/a Studies. This image comes from her featured interview in “Provost Profiles” from 2024.
“Public Historians at Work” Features Research by James Burke

James Burke co-wrote and recorded, with Austin Lee (MA ’25), “Stories from the Third Ward: War and the Third Ward,” an episode of the podcast “Public Historians at Work” from the Center for Public History
Marquel Sennet Speaks at Gregory School

Marquel Sennet spoke about Black media at The African American Library at the Gregory School as part of “Words of Defiance: How Black Newspapers Amplified Labor Justice and Social Change” for Black History Month 2025.
Graduate Students Co-Organize Conference

Muthuvel Deivendran (R) and Katherine Truax (L) helped plan and run the inaugural Health is Politics Conference in 2024, which brought scholars from around the world to UH.

	OLUSEYI NOAH ADEBANJO PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Leandra Zarnow Major Field: Children in U.S. History Minor Fields: Legal History and Public History Research Interests: History of Childhood, Constitutional/Legal History, Digital Humanities, Public History Fellowships/Awards: University of Houston Dean Scholarship, Little Rock Endowed Scholarship, David Gracy II Scholarship, Sharing Stories from 1977 Editorial Fellowship Internships: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Clinton Presidential Library and Museum Undergraduate: BA in History and Strategic Studies, University of Lagos, Nigeria, 2019 Graduate: MA in Public History, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2025 Website: https://noah-banjo.github.io/ onadeban@cougarnet.uh.edu "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." -Nelson Mandela
	ERIN FAYE ALVEAR PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: John Sbardellati Major Field: U.S History Research Interests: 20th Century U.S. History, Deviance, Social Institutions, Race, and Capitalism during the overlapping Cold War and Civil Rights Era Undergraduate: BA in History and Sociology, University of Houston, 2025 efalvear@cougarnet.uh.edu
	AMR ESSAM ABDELMONIEM PhD Student in Global Urban History Advisor: Hanan Hammad Major Field: Global and Middle Eastern History Minor Field: Urban Studies Research Interests: Heritage, Urban Mobility and Political Economy with a particular focus on how infrastructure and policies shape heritage and urban life in Egypt alongside broader comparative interests in the Middle East and Global South Selected Publications in Arabic: -Madina shakkalatha al-quduban: tarikh al-tanaqul fi al-Qahira, Al-Qahira mu'arrakha (edited volume), vol.1, Dar Al-Ain, Cairo, 2024 -Min al-Qahira ila al-dawahi al-jadida: al-qitar wa al-nukhba wa al-madina, fi 'ard al-tariq (edited volume), Dar Al Maraya, Cairo, 2024 -Al-Wusūl ilā al-Maʿādī wa-Manẓūmat al-Tanaqqul fī al-Ḍāḥiya, Al-Ma‘ādī: Lamaḥāt min Tārīkh wa Turāth al-Ḍāḥiyah al-Khaḍrā’(edited volume), NOUH, Ministry of Culture, Egypt, 2026 Undergraduate: Urban Planning Engineering Graduate: Architecture and Politics aeabdelmoniem@uh.edu
	SHIREEN AKRAM-BOSHAR snakramb@cougarnet.uh.edu
	RAHIL ASGARI PhD Candidate in U.S. History Advisor: Josiah Rector Major Field: U.S. History Minor Fields: Public History, Global History, Labor History, History of Medicine Research Interests: Women and Gender Studies; Historical Sociology Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Tehran Graduate: MA in History, University of Tehran rasgari@cougarnet.uh.edu
	TILAK BHARDWAJ PhD Student in History Advisor: Pratik Chakrabarti Major Field: History of Technology Research Interests: History of Railways, Aviation, Infrastructure, Accidents, and Standards; Social Histories of Transport, Communication, and Space Fellowships: UH Presidential Fellowship Undergraduate: BA in (Hons) History, St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi Graduate: MA in History, St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi tbhardwa@cougarnet.uh.edu
	DMITRII BLYSHKO PhD Candidate in European History Advisor: Alexey Golubev Major Field: European History (20th-century Russia and Europe) Minor Field: History of Science Research Interests: History of Science; History of Russia; History of Archaeology; Archaeology of Nordic Europe Undergraduate: Specialist Degree with Honors in History from Petrozavodsk State University, Russia, 2011 Graduate: MA in Anthropology and Ethnology from European University at Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 2013 dblyshko@cougarnet.uh.edu
	JAMES BURKE PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Todd Romero Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Public History, Historic Preservation, Museum Studies Undergraduate: BA in History, Oklahoma Christian University, 2021 Graduate: MA in History, Texas A&M University - Central Texas, 2023 Jpburke2@cougarnet.uh.edu
	HEATHER BUTINA-SUTTON PhD Candidate in Latin America Advisor: Philip Howard Major Field: Transnational History (18th-19th century Atlantic World) Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Black Labor and Entrepreneurship; Women and Gender Studies; African-American History; Afro-Latina/o/x History; Digital Humanities Undergraduate: BA in Cultural Anthropology, University of Houston, 2014 hbsutton@central.uh.edu "History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do." - James Baldwin
	VALERIE N. BUTLER-HARRIS PhD Candidate in U.S. History Advisor: David McNally Major Field: U.S. History (15th century-Modern) Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: African American History (New Negro, 1920s-1965); Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1965); Women's History: Labor History Undergraduate: Health and Physical Education, Texas Southern University, 1980 Graduate: Master of Education-Educational Administration, Texas Southern University, 2000; MA in History, Texas Southern University, 2019 vbutlerharris11@gmail.com "Won't it be wonderful when Black history, and Native American history, and Jewish history and ALL U.S. History is taught from one book. Just U. S. history.” - Maya Angelou
	SUTANWI CHATTERJEE PhD Candidate in History Advisor: Nandini Bhattacharya Major Field: Global History with a focus on South Asia Minor Field: History of Medicine Research Interests: History of Science, Medicine, Technology, Urban History, Environmental History, Oceanic History, Economic History, and History of Cuisines Undergraduate: BA with Honors in History, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, India Graduate: MPhil in History, Ambedkar University, Delhi, India; MA in History, University of Mumbai, India schaterj@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ALEXEY CHERNYAVSKIY PhD Candidate in Transnational History Advisor: Alexey Golubev Major Field: Transnational History Minor Field: European History Research Interests: Soviet engagement with Africa, Asia, and Latin America during the Cold War, decision-making and military aid, anticolonialism and anti-imperialism, wars of liberation Undergraduate: Diploma with Honors in History (summa cum laude), Moscow Region State University, Russia, 2010 Graduate: Candidate of Sciences in History, Moscow Region State University, Russia, 2017 achernya@cougarnet.uh.edu
	MADELEINE COGBILL MA in Public History Research Interests: British and English History Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Houston Advisor: Nancy Beck Young mcogbill@cougarnet.uh.edu "Life is a bowl of spaghetti, every so often you get a meatball."
	JOAQUIN DAVILA jgdavil2@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ERIC DEBRUIN MA in History Advisor: Adela Cedillo Major Field: Mexican history Minor Field: American history Research Interests: Constitutional Law, Race and ethnicity in U.S. politics, social contract theory Undergraduate: BA in Ethnic Studies/Political Science, University of Colorado, 2008 Graduate: MA in Political Science, University of Houston, 2013 emdebrui@cougarnet.uh.edu
	MUTHUVEL DEIVENDRAN PhD Candidate in History Advisor: Pratik Chakrabarti Major Field: South Asian History with focus on coastal environments Minor Field: History of Science and Technology Research Interests: Fisher communities, Environmental Justice and Working-Class Movements, Regulatory regimes, Political Economy, Ocean Studies Projects: -Research Assistant for the “Coastal Transformation and Fisher Wellbeing - Synthesized Perspectives from India and Europe” (under French Institute of Pondicherry and Madras Institute of Developmental Studies, India) funded by the European Union ─ India Platform for Social Sciences and Humanities (EqUIP) -Research Intern for the Tribal Research Centre, Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, India Undergraduate: BE in Automobile Engineering, Anna University, India, 2016 Graduate: MA in Anthropology, University of Madras, India, 2021 mdeivend@cougarnet.uh.edu
	SERGIO GARCIA PhD Student in History Advisor: Adela Cedillo Major Field: Latin American History Research Interests: Cold War Latin America, Counterinsurgency in Latin America, US Foreign Policy in Latin America, Mexican Political History, 20th Century Central American Political History Undergraduate: BA in History and Political Science at the University of North Texas, 2023 Graduate: MA in History at the University of North Texas, 2026 sagarc32@cougarnet.uh.edu "History is not the soil on which happiness grows. The periods of happiness in it are the blank pages of history."
	ALFONSO GARZA agarza89@cougarnet.uh.edu
	VALERIA GONZÁLEZ PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Mark Goldberg Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Latina/o/x Jews, Sephardic Jews, Latina/o/x US History, Digital Humanities, Public History, social history, religious history, Jewish Studies Fellowships: Lydia Mendoza Fellowship 2024-2026 Digital Humanities Projects: -Research Assistant for the Latina/o/x Jewish Digital Archive -Project Facilitator for the Black Magazines of the 20th Century Project website Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Houston, 2024 vgonza53@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ASHER GONZÁLEZ-ORTIZ PhD Student in History Advisor: Norah L. A. Gharala Major Field: Global/Transnational History with a focus on the Atlantic World Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-century Puerto Rico; Puerto Rican History; the Iberian Atlantic; Caribbean History; Race and Identity; Slavery and Coerced Labor; Colonial Latin America Undergraduate: BA in History, Sam Houston State University, 2023 aagonz43@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ELINOY GRANOT LOVELESS PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Mark Goldberg Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Campus Activism, Jewish history, U.S. —Israel relations, Global History Undergraduate: BA in History & Education, University of Haifa, 2021 Graduate: MA in Human Development & Education, George Washington University, 2023 egranotlovel@cougarnet.uh.edu
	DAVID GUZMAN PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: David McNally dguzman8@central.uh.edu
	BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ bahernandez15@cougarnet.uh.edu
	CHASE HOLT PhD Candidate in U.S. & Transnational History Advisor: David McNally Research Interests: History from Below, Race and Capitalism in the Atlantic World, African American Urban History, Labor, Immigration, Whiteness & the History of White Supremacy, Carceral Studies Undergraduate: BA in History & Religious Studies, University of Virginia, 2007 Graduate: MA in History, Arizona State University, 2023 Website: chasehholt.podbean.com chholt@cougarnet.uh.edu
	FADI KAFEETY PhD Candidate in Modern Middle East Advisor: David McNally & Abdel Razzaq Takriti (Rice University) Research Interests: Marxism; Political Economy; Revolutions and Revolutionary Thought; Tricontinentalism; History from Below; Colonialism and Imperialism Dissertation: "The Yemeni Revolutions: National Liberation and Social Transformation in South Arabia, 1962-1967" Current Position: Program Manager for the Palestinian & Arab Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley (2025 - Present) Awards: 2024-25 ACOR-CAORC Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (Amman, Jordan); UH Presidential Fellowship (2019 - 2021) Undergraduate: Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, New York University, 2017 Graduate: MA in Middle East Studies, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 2019 Website: https://uh.academia.edu/fadikafeety fkafeety@cougarnet.uh.edu
	RILEY KRAMER PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Nancy Beck Young Major Field: U.S. History (20th Century) Minor Field: World History Research Interests: U.S. and the World, American Empire, America's role in the world, specifically the FDR era Current Position: Active Duty Army Logistics Officer since 2015 to present Undergraduate: BS in Business Administration, The Ohio State University, 2015 Graduate: MS in Logistics Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 2021 rkramer@cougarnet.uh.edu
	CATE KURTZ PhD Student in History Advisor: Nancy Beck Young Research Interests: Medievalism in American Cultural History; Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe; Knightly Orders and Tournaments; Oral History; Museum Studies Undergraduate: BA in History, Oklahoma City University, 2021 Graduate: MA in Public History, Oklahoma State University, 2025; Museum and Curatorial Studies Graduate Certificate, Oklahoma State University, 2025 hckurtz@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ARACELY LARA PhD Student in Public History Advisors: Mark Goldberg, Nancy Beck Young Research Interests: Texas-based muralists, research is focused on communal healing and resistance through murals and exploring murals as a holistic method to cleanse spaces of historically traumatic events in Texas. Undergraduate: Literature and Latino Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 2021 alara32@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ANDREA LEDWELL PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Linda Reed Major Field: Twentieth-Century U.S. History Minor Fields: Global History, Public History Research Interests: Civil Rights Movement and Social Justice, Southern Studies, History of Race and Slavery, Social and Reform Movements, African American Studies Publications: Pushing Forward: The Story of Mississippi's Youngest Rider, co-authored with Hezekiah Watkins, 2019 Undergraduate: Mississippi State University, 2003 Graduate: MA in History, Sam Houston State University, 2025 aledwell@courgarnet.uh.edu
	LUANA LUCENA PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Josiah Rector Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Global History Research Interests: Labor History, Jewish immigration, Jewish Labor Movements, Labor Movements Undergraduate: BA in Law, University of Petrolina, Brazil llucena@CougarNet.UH.EDU
	STEPHANIE MASTERSON PhD Student in European History Advisor: Catherine Patterson Major Field: European History Minor Field: U.S. History Research Interests: Early Modern British History, religious history, witchcraft, spirituality, and folk belief, Women and Gender History, History of Emotions, social and cultural history, Early American History, Environmental History Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Houston, 2023 sfmaster@cougarnet.uh.edu
	KATERINA P. MUÑOZ MA Student in Public History Advisor: Nancy Beck Young Research Interests: 20th Century U.S. History, Texas History, Oral History, LGBTQ+ History, Women’s History, Digital Humanities Undergraduate: BA in Sociology, University of Houston kpmunoz3@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ANIRUDH NAVEEN PhD Student in History Advisor: Nandini Bhattacharya Research Interests: History of Medicine, History of Wellness Cultures and Alternative Medicine in Modern South Asia, History of Science and Technology, Legal History Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Delhi, 2023 Graduate: MA in History, University of Delhi 2025 anaveen@cougarnet.uh.edu
	CHASE NORTON PhD Student in History Advisor: John Sbardellati Major Field: U.S. History Research Interests: 20th-Century U.S. Political History and Conservatism Fellowships: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Fellowship Undergraduate: BA in Knowledge Integration, University of Waterloo, 2022 Graduate: MA in History, University of Waterloo, 2025 Cgnorton@cougarnet.uh.edu "There's always a bigger fish."
	CAYLA PEÑA MA in Public History Advisor: Nancy Beck Young Research Interests: American History from 1750-1920, Law and Society, Museum Studies Undergraduate: BA in History, Texas A&M University, 2023; Paralegal Certificate Program, Rice University, 2025 cspena2@cougarnet.uh.edu
	JAIME MIGUEL RAMIREZ MA Student in Latin American History Advisor: Adela Cedillo Major Field: Cold War Latin America Research Interests: Censorship, Interactions between musicians and the state during dictatorships, civil wars, and authoritarian regimes, Music history, Student movements, Rock and Roll history Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Houston, 2024 Jmramir9@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ANDRES RIOS alrios@cougarnet.uh.edu
	CINDY RIVAS ALFARO MA Student in Public History Advisor: Nancy Beck Young Research Interests: The Salvadoran Civil War, Liberation Theology, Land Tenure, Women’s History, Colonial History Undergraduate: BA in Journalism with a minor in Women’s Studies and Phronēsis, University of Houston, 2025 cgrivasa@cougarnet.uh.edu
	GABRIELLE (ELLE) RODRIGUEZ PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Kelly Hopkins Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Indigenous America, Colonial America, North American Borderlands, Cultural History Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Houston, 2022 Graduate: MA in History, Bowling Green State University, 2025 grodri46@cougarnet.uh.edu
	ANUSHKA ROY PhD Student in History Advisor: Pratik Chakrabarti Major: Global History Minor: History of Science and Medicine Research Interests: History of Medicine, History of Science and Technology, Legal History, British Colonialism, Women and Gender Studies, Global History with a focus on South Asia Fellowships: Presidential Fellowship from the University of Houston Undergraduate Degree : BA Honors History from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University Graduate Degree : MA History from Miranda House, Delhi University aroy31@cougarnet.uh.edu
	XAVIER SALDIVAR-OSORTO PhD Candidate in Latin American History Advisor: Philip A. Howard Major Field: Latin American History Minor Field: U.S.-Mexican Borderlands Research Interests: Digital Humanities, Oral History, Immigration, Race and Ethnicity, Mexican American History, Revolutions in Latin America, Latin America during the Cold War, Food History, and Music History Undergraduate: AAS in Automotive Technology, Houston Community College, 2013; BA in History, University of Houston-Downtown, 2021 Graduate: MA in History, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2023 xasaldiv@cougarnet.uh.edu "Nobody said life was easy, so if you get knocked down, take the standing eight count, get back up and fight again!" - "Macho Man" Randy Savage
	MARQUEL SENNET PhD Candidate in U.S. History Advisor: Linda Reed Major Field: U.S. History (Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries) Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: African American history in the Gulf South, with a focus on Black press and communication networks, Black migration from Louisiana to Southeast Texas, labor and community formation, and the role of foodways and music in shaping Black cultural life from Reconstruction through the twenty-first century. Awards: 2026 Harris County Historical Society Award for Excellence Undergraduate: BA in Broadcast Journalism, University of North Texas Graduate: MA in Social Sciences, Grambling State University mnsennet@cougarnet.uh.edu
	SHREYA SINGH PhD Student in History Advisor: Pratik Chakrabarti Major Field: Global History Minor Field: History of Science, Medicine, and Technology Research Interests: Environmental and Colonial History; Migration; Landscape Degradation; History of Science, Medicine, and Technology Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Delhi, India Graduate: MA in History, University of Delhi, India ssingh96@cougarnet.uh.edu
	LISAMARIE SMALL PhD Student in European History Advisor: Alexey Golubev Major Field: 20th Century Russia and Europe Minor Field: Transnational history Research Interests: Soviet Nationality Policy, Women and Gender Studies, Russian German History Undergraduate: BA in History and Russian, Bryn Mawr College Graduate: MA Student in Russian Language and Literature, Middlebury College; MA in Russian History, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill lmsmall2@cougarnet.uh.edu
	RILEY SULLIVAN PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Matthew Clavin Major Field: U.S. History (19th Century) Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: American Civil War, Historical Memory, War and Society, Reconstruction, and Political History Current Position: Instructor of History at San Jacinto College Undergraduate: BA in History, Sam Houston State University, 2019 Graduate: MA in History, Sam Houston State University, 2021 resulli3@CougarNet.UH.edu
	MICHAEL TANNER PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Nancy Beck Young Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Early 20th Century U.S. Social movements and early Civil Rights efforts mltanner@cougarnet.uh.edu "If you want me to speak for two minutes, it will take me three weeks of preparation. If you want me to speak for thirty minutes, it will take me a week to prepare. If you want me to speak for an hour, I am ready now." - Winston Churchill
	MATTHEW THARP PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Kelly Hopkins Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Global History Research Interests: Settler Colonialism; Indigenous Sovereignty and Resistance; the Politics of Recognition and Refusal; Genocide and Cultural Genocide; the Continuities of Colonial Power across Empires, Colonies, and Emerging States Undergraduate: BS in Political Science, BS in International Studies, University of Utah Graduate: MA in History, Eastern Washington University mmtharp@cougarnet.uh.edu “Indigenous peoples exist, resist, and persist.” —J. Kēhaulani Kauanui
	KATHERINE TRUAX PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Pratik Chakrabarti Major Field: History of Medicine Minor Field: Transnational History Research Interests: History of Death, Medicalization, Race, Imperialism, Policy, History of Science, Pseudoscience Undergraduate: BA in History, University of Houston, 2011 Graduate: MSc in History, University of Edinburgh, 2012 kttruax@CougarNet.UH.edu
	SETH UZMAN PhD Candidate in Transnational History Advisor: David McNally Major Field: Transnational History Minor Field: U.S. History Research Interests: Class formation in the 19C Greater Caribbean, 20C global intellectual history Undergraduate: BA in Mathematics, Economics, Plan II, University of Texas at Austin, 2018 Graduate: MA in Labor, Social Movements, and Development, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 2020 ssuzman@cougarnet.uh.edu “The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the 'emergency situation' in which we live is the rule. We must arrive at a concept of history which corresponds to this.” - Walter Benjamin
	MICHAEL VOSS PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Nancy Beck Young Major Field: U.S. History (20th Century) Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Military History (World War II, The Cold War), Pop Culture History, History Museums Undergraduate: BA in History with film minor, “Barrett, The Honors College” at Arizona State University, 2023 Graduate: MA in Public History, University of Houston, 2026 mkvoss@cougarnet.uh.edu
	AMELIA WHITE PhD Student in U.S. History Advisor: Raúl Ramos Major Field: U.S. History Minor Field: Transnational History Research Interest: Spanish American borderlands (17th & 18th centuries), U.S. West, public history Undergraduate: Political Science, Austin College Graduate: MA in History, University of Texas at San Antonio aewhite6@cougarnet.uh.edu
	AJANAE WILLIS PhD Candidate in U.S. History Advisor: Richard Mizelle Major Field: U.S History in the 19th and 20th Centuries Minor Field: Public History Research Interests: Environmental History/Racism; Culture and Community Building; Disaster Capitalism; Black Geographies; Medical History; Race, Disease, and Healthcare disparities; Oral History Undergraduate: BA in History, Elizabeth City State University, 2017 Graduate: MA in History, North Carolina Central University, 2020 atwillis@central.uh.edu