Helen Martinez
History major Helen Martinez was hesitant to apply for a summer internship, even though it deeply interested her. Although an accomplished student in the University Honors Program, she continued to doubt her academic self-worth. Ms. Martinez remembers that she felt that her achievements were “not enough.” However, her professors, as well as the knowledge that the internship provides an opportunity to underrepresented students in the humanities and social sciences, prodded her forward. She applied and was awarded a spot as an intern with the Summer Curatorial Research Project in Indigenous Arts at the University of Virginia. Her internship begins this summer. It is paid and includes housing and travel expenses.
The summer internship opens up professional possibilities for Ms. Martinez and promises to help diversify the field of museum studies. She observes, “As a first generation college student and daughter of immigrant parents, I do not always have the privilege of seeing representation in my field of study as a history major, but I believe representation and recognizing diversity and intersectionality is integral to the study of history. I hope use this opportunity to become part of that new representation and to bring a different perspective to my field that I would have benefited from when I was contemplating whether to study history. This program is an excellent way for me to gain on site experience and network before I graduate this fall. Using the GRE course and graduate school preparation offered in the program, I will to apply for graduate school next year, after which I plan to obtain my Ph.D. in history and ultimately work as a historian in a museum.”
Ms. Martinez’s fascination with museum studies began when she was seven-years-old on a school field trip to the Museum of Natural Sciences. That visit taught her the value of history, writing, and research. “My family did not always have the financial means to visit museums,” she remembers, “but the impression of my first visit inspired me to continue my education in history.”
Upon hearing the good news of her award, Ms. Martinez’s family was “ecstatic,” she says, “although we were all a little scared of the idea of me leaving for two months to a place we had never been and that is not easily accessible by car. I am the first in my family to branch out this way, but my family agrees that it will be worth it.”
Drs. Theresa Case and Mari Nicholson-Preuss encouraged Ms. Martinez to apply for the internship. Dr. Case was impressed with Ms. Martinez’s presentation at the History, Humanities, & Languages Student Research Conference. Dr. Nicholson-Preuss, director of the University Honors Program, has high praise for Ms. Martinez: “In the four years that I have known Helen I have been truly impressed by both her exceptional academic potential and her genuine interest in all things historical. She has a boundless energy when it comes to attending panels at academic conferences and her questions are always insightful. I was very pleased to hear that Helen had been offered this opportunity and I look forward to hearing about her archival adventures when she returns.” The History Program and the UHD Honors Program extend a hearty congratulations to Ms. Martinez and wish her the very best this summer.
Dr. Jonathan Chism
Dr. Jonathan Chism, assistant professor of history, uncovers the role of leaders in COGIC and other black churches in Memphis during the civil rights movement in his new book “Saints in the Struggle” (Lexington Books, a subsidiary of Rowman & Littlefield).
Through archival research (including oral histories), Chism details the significance of grassroots activism during the height of the Civil Rights era and how black churches united (regardless of denomination) to advocate for equality.
“The book uncovers many of the lesser known activists in the Memphis area, who worked behind the scenes,” Chism said. “One of the groups highlighted in ‘Saints in the Struggle’ is Community on the Move for Equality (COME).” Read more about
Dr. Chism's book.
Spanish Faculty Travel to Salamanca, Spain, to Present on Course Redesign
Three Spanish Program faculty members – Dr. Raquel Chiquillo, Dr. Paul Mandell, and Dr. William Nowak – traveled to the “Golden City” of Salamanca, Spain, in June 2018 to present on their redesign of introductory Spanish courses (SPAN 1401 and 1402) at the 100th Annual Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. The redesign entailed the creation of VoiceThread videos and was funded by a UHD Teaching Circle grant.
