Undergraduate Student News
The 2023–2024 academic year was without a doubt a significantly eventful and successful year for many of our undergraduate history majors. From visiting historic battle sites tied to one of the most significant and tragic moments of Native American History in the Pacific Northwest, to receiving important honors and scholarships, the undergraduate students in the Department of History at Washington State University continue to excel inside and outside of our classrooms.
In the Field
Led by Native American scholar and member of the Upper Skagit Tribe, Professor Ryan Booth, through his US-Indian Wars course, undergraduate history students visited Steptoe Battlefield State Park in the fall 2023 semester. The purpose of the field trip was to show undergraduate students and history majors the historical links that the university and the region have not just with the 1855 Treaty of Washington, but also with the 1858 Battle of Pine Creek that took place on the grounds of the current Steptoe Battlefield State Park. The trip enabled students enrolled in Booth’s course to not just understand and process the history, but to actually connect with one of the most significant events in our regional Native American history.
By the same token, the visit was proof of one of the many ways by which undergraduate students in the Department of History can actively engage with Washington State University’s land grant mission through public history. As a land grant university founded in dispossessed Indigenous lands, Booth’s course enabled students to understand that history goes beyond academic monographs and the classroom experience, and that it is reflected in the broader world around us with important historical implications. Students experienced how public wayside exhibits can obscure historical truths and diminish the role of Native historical actors. While at the Old Mission State Park in Cataldo, Idaho, students reflected on how telling incomplete historical stories can lead to greater problems remembering our shared history. It also spurred a call-to-action as historians and teachers to try to tell more complete stories.
Student Spotlight
Sebastian Sanders was chosen as the Department of History 2023–2024 “Outstanding Senior.” Sebastian has shown considerable promise in his skills as an educator and writer. He looks forward to moving to Boston soon to begin his public-school teaching journey. After a planned brief stint of public service, Sebastian plans to return to academia to further his research on labor movements in the last century.
Angel Bell is a recipient of this year’s La Porte/Thorson Memorial Endowed Scholarship in History and of the Katherine Gilbert Blinn Scholarship in History. Angie is a junior at WSU and a history major who plans to minor in social studies. She is passionate about history as it allows her to unveil the truth and explore diverse narratives. Angie plans to use her history degree upon graduation to pursue law school.
Kyle Effinger is a recipient of this year’s George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment. He is a fourth-year history major at WSU Vancouver and plans to enter the master’s in teaching program upon graduation. With both a history and teaching degree, Kyle plans on pursuing a career in high school history teaching, instructing the future generation of students on why things are the way they are today. In his free time, Kyle enjoys playing fingerstyle guitar and hiking.
Ender Johnson is a recipient of this year’s George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment. Ender is a history major on the pre-law track with the hopes of one day becoming a constitutional lawyer. Ender is a classically trained singer, an amateur skier, and is currently learning to play the violin.
Chandler Salyards is a recipient of this year’s George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment. Chandler is a history student at Washington State University Vancouver. He enjoys learning about the history of the Pacific Northwest and his home in the Willamette Valley.
Naomi Slavish is a recipient of both the Winston B. Thorson Memorial Scholarship and the George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment. Naomi is entering her final year at WSU. Her degree in history has a focus on Native American Studies. She recently presented her historical research on Agatha Christie at the 2024 Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). After graduation Naomi intends to continue her passion for history by attending graduate school in the pursual of a PhD.
Khiara Thomas is a recipient of this year’s George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment. Khiara is an out-of-state student from Grants Pass, Oregon. She is majoring in both history and anthropology at Washington State University Vancouver and is very appreciative of the university’s staff, students, and activities offered there, along with the beautiful campus scenery. While she has not yet decided her future career plans, Khiara is excited to see what the future holds.
The Department of History would also like to recognize the following fellowship and scholarship recipients:
- Cheyann Anderson: Recipient of the George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment
- Miles Boudinot: Recipient of the Wayne Stanford History Scholarship
- Halle King: Recipient of the Middle East History Research and Scholarship Funds
- Daniel Proudfoot: Recipient of the George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment
- Zachary Ristau: Recipient of the India Research & Scholarship fund and the George & Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment
- Ryan Schmidth: Recipient of the George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment
- Kaden Weber: Recipient of the George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment
The department has awarded the following scholarships to support current students pursuing a major or minor in history:
- Katherine Gilbert Blinn Scholarship in History
- George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment
- India Research and Scholarship Fund
- William W. Landeen and Claudius O. Johnson Scholarship in History
- Middle East History Research and Scholarship Fund
- Sherman and Mabel Smith Pettyjohn Memorial Fund
- Morris Reed Scholarship in History and Political Science
- Ruth Magnuson Roberts Scholarship in Sociology and History
- Wayne Stanford History Scholarship
- Howard C. Payne Award for Excellence in Research
- Stan Berry and Sui Family Lifetime Friendship Endowment
- Claudius O. & Mary W. Johnson Scholarship in History
- Ray Muse and Herman Deutsch Memorial Student Support Fund in History
- Frederick and Liselotte Dumin Memorial Scholarship
- Ruth Magnuson Roberts Scholarship in Sociology and History
- LaPorte/Thorson Memorial Endowed Scholarship in History
- William D. Aiken Memorial Endowment in History
- Paul C. Anderson Scholarship in History
- Thigpen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research
Thank you to our donors, alumni, and friends for supporting our students with contributions to these scholarship and award funds. Your gifts are deeply appreciated!