The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History




T he Gilder Lehrman History Scholars Program, inaugurated in 2003, is a competitive summer scholarship program in American history for outstanding college sophomores and juniors. The program, based in New York City, has been designed to both reward undergraduates who have demonstrated superb research and writing skills in the field of American history and provide an opportunity for the next generation of historians to engage in discussions with eminent scholars and in primary-source research. The Gilder Lehrman History Scholars Program has two components:
  • 15 History Scholarships that include a five-week scholarly research program
  • Up to 50 awards for One-Week Scholars [Finalists], who will be invited to a one-week program.

History Scholars receive a stipend of $2,200, along with room, board, and a $600 travel allowance for a five-week program in New York City. Scholars conduct primary-source research to prepare historical materials for publication. The projects provide the students with an opportunity to work with original documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and other archives. The students also have exclusive meetings with eminent historians to discuss historical issues and gain insight into history as a profession (past sessions have been led by Eric Foner, Kenneth T. Jackson, James McPherson, Sean Wilentz, Christine Stansell, Steven Hahn, Steven Mintz, Ron Chernow, and Catherine Clinton, among others). A third component of the program is weekly behind-the-scenes visits, led by archivists, to leading repositories of American historical documents, printed books, and material culture.

Click here for a printable (PDF) version of the 2009 History Scholars brochure.

2009 History Scholars:

Eric Augenbraun of the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, PA
Kelli Huggins of Siena College and Prattsville, NY
Maxwell Johnson of Northwestern University and Hamilton, NY
Ebony Jones of the University of New Mexico and Albuquerque, NM
Diana Kirkland of Yale College and Houston, TX
Danton Liang of the University of California, Berkeley and Monterey Park, CA
Alicia Maggard of Willamette University and Sammamish, WA
Nicole Mahoney of Wagner College and Leonardo, NJ
Jake McMahon of Colorado State University and Littleton, CO
James Randolph of Birmingham-Southern College and Anniston, AL
Taylor Rausch of the University of Missouri and Zionsville, IN
Anna Roberts of Rice University and Oviedo, FL
Ashley Schmidt of Lynchburg College and Jarrettsville, MD
Sarah Vickery of Wellesley College and Ipswich, MA
Kay Witkiewicz of the University of Florida and Cape Coral, FL


2009 One-Week History Scholars:

Katherine Bailey of Concordia University and Oak Creek, WI
Jacqueline Beatty of Boston College and Lansdale, PA
Eamon Bencivengo of Stonehill College and Hawthorne, NJ
Kathleen Berggren of Georgetown University and Granby, CT
Mark Boonshoft of SUNY Buffalo and White Plains, NY
Samantha Bryant of Lynchburg College and Lynchburg, VA
Dara Bu of the University of California, San Diego and Burbank, CA
Alison Channon of Brandeis University and Chicago, IL
Megan Claar of the University of Virginia and Bealeton, VA
Ben Davidson of Williams College and Larchmont, NY
Michael Educate of Yale University and Lake Forest, IL
Alyse Galarza of the University of Missouri and Columbia, MO
Judith Garber of Rutgers University and South Orange, NY
Maren Gelle of St. Olaf College and Lakeville, MN
Amanda Gonzalez of Rosemont College and Swedesboro, NJ
Hope Grebner of Monmouth College and Green Valley, IL
Abraham Gustavson of Ohio Wesleyan University and Putnam, CT
Brian Hamm of Pepperdine University and Jefferson City, MO
Robert Hannam of the University of Hull and Hull, UK
Brandi Hatfield of Liberty University and Edgewood, KY
Laura Houston of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Cincinnati, OH
Danielle Jakubowski of Baruch College, CUNY and Brooklyn, NY
Braum Katz of the College of William and Mary and Williamsburg, VA
Karen Katz of Haverford College and New York, NY
Matthew Klayman of Harvard University and Wynnewood, PA
Zach Klitzman of the University of Pennsylvania and Bethesda, MD
Esther Lifshitz of Columbia University and Cedarhurst, NY
Esther Mansdorf of the University of Chicago and Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Taylor Margot of the University of California, Berkeley and Menlo Park, CA
Sarah Matherly of Vassar College and Urbana, IL
Miriam Miller of Barnard College and Boca Raton, FL
Rachel Raasch of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Menasha, WI
Daniel Raymond of the University of Illinois and Burr Ridge, IL
Kate Redburn of Columbia University and San Francisco, CA
Darcy Rendon of Smith College and Astoria, NY
Vaclav Shatillo of Coe College and Toledo, IA
Jennifer Shimada of Baylor University and Brea, CA
Asher Smith of Emory University and Great Neck, NY
Jackson Smith of Reed College and Portland, OR
Jordan Smith of Carleton College and Grantham, PA
Claire Steinman of Brandeis University and Havertown, PA
Bryn Stole of Kenyon College and Webster Groves, MO
Katharine Uva of Boston University and Forest Hills, NY
Natasha Walker of City College, CUNY and Brooklyn, NY
Jeffrey Washburn of the University of Idaho and Arlington, WA
Artemus Werts of Rutgers University and Plainfield, NJ
Lindsey Wheeler of Grinnell College and River Falls, WI
Leticia Wiggins of Ohio State University and Paradise, CA
Susan Wigodner of Lehigh University and Highland Park, IL
Carmen Williams of Emory University and Atlanta, GA
Sean Williamson of the University of Louisville and Ashland, KY
Claire Wolnisty of Creighton University and Chandler, AZ


For more information about the program, e-mail scholars@gilderlehrman.org.

To apply







Jump to
Overview
The Gilder Lehrman History Schools Program
To Apply
The Civil War Essay Contest
Past Recipients
History Teacher of the Year
Past Recipients