Graduate Student News

HGSA Annual Update by Kyley Canion-Brewer, HGSA President

The 2023–2024 school year was a success for WSU’s History Graduate Student Association (HGSA). This year, HGSA students focused on rebuilding the graduate student community by reinstituting events that were canceled with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. With ten officer roles being filled by a range of MA and PhD students and two new roles created to adapt to a rapidly changing campus community, student participation this academic year was at an all-time high. HGSA students played an active role across the WSU campus and beyond this year. Some, like PhD student Drew Gamboa and MA student Kenzie Deppe, both presented at this year’s WSU InQueery Symposium in October 2023. Others went further afield, like PhD student Ryan Hollister, who presented at the Lewis and Clark College’s 43rd Annual Gender Studies Symposium in Portland in March 2024.

With support from the Department of History, the Roots of Contemporary Issues Program, and the Graduate & Professional Student Organization, the HGSA hosted a range of events. In the fall 2023 semester, we sponsored the Department of History’s annual orientation event for incoming graduate students. During this event, we offered two colloquiums aimed at promoting student success and well-being featuring talks by Professor William M. Tsustui and Bradley Richardson. Professor Tsutsui, who spoke to us from Ottowa University where he serves as president, and Mr. Richardson presented on his work as executive director of Clark Country Historical Museum.

In the spring 2024 semester, the HGSA hosted two more colloquiums featuring talks by Professor Dale Graden from the University of Idaho and Professor Megan Asaka from the University of California, Riverside. The HGSA also held a public film screening organized by first-year graduate student Ray Matsumoto. The screening featured the film Shusenjo, which centered on the controversy over Japanese comfort women and was followed by a Q&A with the film’s director. In May, we hosted the 2nd Annual HGSA Conference featuring work from graduate students from the WSU and University of Idaho campuses. We are happy to report that the number of presenters at the conference grew considerably this year. The conference also featured a keynote address by Professor Marlene Gaynair that attracted around fifty attendees and participants from around the Palouse.

Accomplishments

Kyley Canion-Brewer received the J.W. Scott Fellowship for 2024, and the Claudius O. and Mary W. Johnson Graduate Fellowship in political science.

Pamela Lee organized a panel proposal that was accepted to appear on the official program for the Association for Asian Studies 2024 Annual Conference in Seattle, WA.

Drew Gamboa was chosen to be a state Humanities Fellow and was awarded the Wayne Stanford History Scholarship. 

Jen Moran was accepted as a summer Education Graduate Fellow with Latinos in Heritage Conservation. She was also awarded the Frederick and Liselotte Dumin Memorial Scholarship and a grant from the Sherman and Mabel Smith Pettyjohn Memorial Fund. 

Jessica O’Rourke was hired as assistant curator at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, Wyoming. 

Jordan Bergstrom was awarded the Morris Reed Scholarship in history and political science. 

Ryan Hollister was awarded the Stan Berry & Siu Family Lifetime Friendship Endowment and a grant from the Sherman and Mabel Smith Pettyjohn Memorial Fund. 

Saheed Ogunkoya was awarded the Paul C. Anderson Scholarship in history and a grant from the Sherman and Mabel Smith Pettyjohn Memorial Fund.

James Schroeder was awarded the William D. Aiken Memorial Fund, the Richard R. and Constance M. Albrecht Scholarship, and a grant from the Sherman and Mabel Smith Pettyjohn Memorial Fund. 

Sreya Mukherjee received a College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Research Award.

Drew Theriot received a grant from the Sherman and Mabel Smith Pettyjohn Memorial Fund. 

Defenses

Berit Davis successfully defended her thesis, “Testing Their Mettle for Metal: Masculine Adventure, Gender, and the Economic Exploitation of the Miners in the Cariboo Gold Rush, 1862–1867.” Her committee included Rob McCoy, Lauri Mercier, and Jeff Sanders. Berit is joining the WSU Department of History as a PhD student in the fall.

Kenzie Deppe successfully defended their thesis, “Midwest Drag: Black Community, Resistance and Perseverance.” Their committee included L Heidenreich, Peter Boag, and Luz María Gordillo. Kenzie will be taking on new community projects in Pullman in the fall.

Camila Nisco successfully defended her thesis, “Shaping Japanese Society through Childhood: Themes of Change and Continuity in Cultures of Education and Play in Japan 1945–1952.” Her committee included W. Puck Brecher, Noriko Kawamura, and Ashley Wright. Camila will be joining the JET Program for teaching English in Japan in summer 2024.

Timothy Varney successfully defended his thesis, “MacArthur’s Forgotten Children: The Allied Occupation of Japan and Burakumin.” His committee included W. Puck Brecher, Noriko Kawamura, and Ashley Wright. Timothy will move to Australia to join his partner following graduation.

The department has awarded the following scholarships to support current students pursuing a minor, major, or graduate work in history: