History Graduate Students
Meet our department's gradaute students and learn more about their work.
The History Graduate Student Association (HGSA) is a vibrant graduate student community. Learn more about current HGSA officers and an annual graduate student conference in Student Association page.
JeMiah Baht Israel
Graduate Assistant, History
JeMiah Baht Israel is a fourth-year Doctoral candidate in the Department of History at the University of Cincinnati. She is a proud recipient of the John C. Court Archaeological Fellowship from 2020-2022 which contributed to the completion of a MA in Anthropology with a focus on the Archaeology of the African Diaspora/Plantation Archaeology.
The focus of her MA thesis (Critical Race Theory and Enslavement at the Dinsmore Plantation) is the enslavement of Africans and African Americans at the Dinsmore Plantation in Boone County, Kentucky. JeMiah’s research used archival records and archaeological methods to examine enslavement from the perspective of those who were enslaved. The purpose of this research is to give a voice to those who were enslaved on the Dinsmore plantation and to advocate for the importance of educating the community about the history and truth of what took place at this site.
Ultimately, JeMiah’s goal is become a tenured professor in African American History with a research focus on the period of the enslavement of African and African Americans. It is also her fervent hope to use doctorate education in History to help resolve contemporary problems that plague the African American community.
The focus of her MA thesis (Critical Race Theory and Enslavement at the Dinsmore Plantation) is the enslavement of Africans and African Americans at the Dinsmore Plantation in Boone County, Kentucky. JeMiah’s research used archival records and archaeological methods to examine enslavement from the perspective of those who were enslaved. The purpose of this research is to give a voice to those who were enslaved on the Dinsmore plantation and to advocate for the importance of educating the community about the history and truth of what took place at this site.
Ultimately, JeMiah’s goal is become a tenured professor in African American History with a research focus on the period of the enslavement of African and African Americans. It is also her fervent hope to use doctorate education in History to help resolve contemporary problems that plague the African American community.
Nicholas David Brown
History
Shepherd Aaron Aaron Ellis
Instructor - Adj, History
My name is Shepherd Aaron Ellis, and I am a Ph.D. Candidate as well as an Adjunct Instructor of History in the College of Arts & Sciences and Blue Ash. My research focuses on how the natural environment impacted early modern societies and how mutable understandings of the natural world was in the early modern period, with a specific focus on exotic animals from 1550 to 1850. I have published on the natural history of alchemy and unicorns, and I have forthcoming articles in Renaissaince Papers and Animal History.
As a public historian, I was interviewed by Lucy May of 97.1 WXVU Cincinnati’s NPR Station and by Eddie and Rocky of 700 WLW Cincinnati’s News Radio to provide historical context during Elizabeth II’s death and Charles III’s coronation, respectively.
My downloadable CV contians links to each of my interviews and to my publications.
As a public historian, I was interviewed by Lucy May of 97.1 WXVU Cincinnati’s NPR Station and by Eddie and Rocky of 700 WLW Cincinnati’s News Radio to provide historical context during Elizabeth II’s death and Charles III’s coronation, respectively.
My downloadable CV contians links to each of my interviews and to my publications.
Theodore Francis Jansen
Graduate Assistant, History
Theodore Jansen is a first-year master’s student in history at the University of Cincinnati focusing on American labor movements at the turn of the twentieth century. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati in 2022 with a bachelor’s in history, and during his undergraduate years worked as a research assistant to Dr. Theresa Leininger-Miller in the department of Art History studying depictions of fruits and vegetables on early twentieth century American sheet music. He is a teaching assistant for Dr. David Stradling’s course “Cities in American History” in the fall 2022 semester.
Erena Nakashima
Graduate Assistant, History
Erena Nakashima is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in 20th-century US history and public history, focusing on the intersection of race, memory, and public space. Her dissertation examines the evolution of Black public history during the late twentieth century, examining the sustained efforts of Black Americans to collect, preserve, interpret, and highlight their historical experiences within public institutions.
Mary C Redmond
History
Mary Redmond is a first-year history master's student at University of Cincinnati, with a concentration in public history. Her research focuses on the integration of museums and other public history sights with homeschool culture and curriculum. She is also interested in how pop culture media shapes public perception of historical events.
Anthony R. Russomanno
History
Anthony is a Ph.D. candidate of American history and holds undergraduate degrees in history and political science, as well as an M.A. in American history. His research interests lie within the realm of U.S. immigration, race, and the politics of whiteness during the 19th and early-20th centuries. Currently, Anthony's research deals with the subject of anti-Italian violence in New Orleans as a lens for exploring the broader experiences Italian immigrants within the rigid racial structure of the American South between the 1870s and 1890s.
Michael F Stevens
History
BA History, Indiana University
BA Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Graduate Certificate, Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Michael earned a BA in History from Indiana University, and a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 2022 with Summa Cum Laude honors. He completed a Graduate Certificate in Film and Media Studies with Summa Cum Laude distinction in 2023, also from the University of Cincinnati. Michael's professional background encompasses roles as a journalist, photojournalist, and designer, complemented by a commitment to mentoring within the DAAP program. His research focuses on the confluence of African-American labor and media, with a particular emphasis on the Pullman Company Porters, their depiction in film, and their impact on Black Cinema.
BA Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Graduate Certificate, Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Michael earned a BA in History from Indiana University, and a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 2022 with Summa Cum Laude honors. He completed a Graduate Certificate in Film and Media Studies with Summa Cum Laude distinction in 2023, also from the University of Cincinnati. Michael's professional background encompasses roles as a journalist, photojournalist, and designer, complemented by a commitment to mentoring within the DAAP program. His research focuses on the confluence of African-American labor and media, with a particular emphasis on the Pullman Company Porters, their depiction in film, and their impact on Black Cinema.
Sage Alessandra Turner
History
Sage Turner is a first year MA History student specializing in Civil War history.
Donny J Watkins
History
JeMiah Baht Israel
Graduate Assistant, History
JeMiah Baht Israel is a fourth-year Doctoral candidate in the Department of History at the University of Cincinnati. She is a proud recipient of the John C. Court Archaeological Fellowship from 2020-2022 which contributed to the completion of a MA in Anthropology with a focus on the Archaeology of the African Diaspora/Plantation Archaeology.
The focus of her MA thesis (Critical Race Theory and Enslavement at the Dinsmore Plantation) is the enslavement of Africans and African Americans at the Dinsmore Plantation in Boone County, Kentucky. JeMiah’s research used archival records and archaeological methods to examine enslavement from the perspective of those who were enslaved. The purpose of this research is to give a voice to those who were enslaved on the Dinsmore plantation and to advocate for the importance of educating the community about the history and truth of what took place at this site.
Ultimately, JeMiah’s goal is become a tenured professor in African American History with a research focus on the period of the enslavement of African and African Americans. It is also her fervent hope to use doctorate education in History to help resolve contemporary problems that plague the African American community.
The focus of her MA thesis (Critical Race Theory and Enslavement at the Dinsmore Plantation) is the enslavement of Africans and African Americans at the Dinsmore Plantation in Boone County, Kentucky. JeMiah’s research used archival records and archaeological methods to examine enslavement from the perspective of those who were enslaved. The purpose of this research is to give a voice to those who were enslaved on the Dinsmore plantation and to advocate for the importance of educating the community about the history and truth of what took place at this site.
Ultimately, JeMiah’s goal is become a tenured professor in African American History with a research focus on the period of the enslavement of African and African Americans. It is also her fervent hope to use doctorate education in History to help resolve contemporary problems that plague the African American community.
Nicholas David Brown
History
Shepherd Aaron Aaron Ellis
Instructor - Adj, History
My name is Shepherd Aaron Ellis, and I am a Ph.D. Candidate as well as an Adjunct Instructor of History in the College of Arts & Sciences and Blue Ash. My research focuses on how the natural environment impacted early modern societies and how mutable understandings of the natural world was in the early modern period, with a specific focus on exotic animals from 1550 to 1850. I have published on the natural history of alchemy and unicorns, and I have forthcoming articles in Renaissaince Papers and Animal History.
As a public historian, I was interviewed by Lucy May of 97.1 WXVU Cincinnati’s NPR Station and by Eddie and Rocky of 700 WLW Cincinnati’s News Radio to provide historical context during Elizabeth II’s death and Charles III’s coronation, respectively.
My downloadable CV contians links to each of my interviews and to my publications.
As a public historian, I was interviewed by Lucy May of 97.1 WXVU Cincinnati’s NPR Station and by Eddie and Rocky of 700 WLW Cincinnati’s News Radio to provide historical context during Elizabeth II’s death and Charles III’s coronation, respectively.
My downloadable CV contians links to each of my interviews and to my publications.
Theodore Francis Jansen
Graduate Assistant, History
Theodore Jansen is a first-year master’s student in history at the University of Cincinnati focusing on American labor movements at the turn of the twentieth century. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati in 2022 with a bachelor’s in history, and during his undergraduate years worked as a research assistant to Dr. Theresa Leininger-Miller in the department of Art History studying depictions of fruits and vegetables on early twentieth century American sheet music. He is a teaching assistant for Dr. David Stradling’s course “Cities in American History” in the fall 2022 semester.
Erena Nakashima
Graduate Assistant, History
Erena Nakashima is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in 20th-century US history and public history, focusing on the intersection of race, memory, and public space. Her dissertation examines the evolution of Black public history during the late twentieth century, examining the sustained efforts of Black Americans to collect, preserve, interpret, and highlight their historical experiences within public institutions.
Mary C Redmond
History
Mary Redmond is a first-year history master's student at University of Cincinnati, with a concentration in public history. Her research focuses on the integration of museums and other public history sights with homeschool culture and curriculum. She is also interested in how pop culture media shapes public perception of historical events.
Anthony R. Russomanno
History
Anthony is a Ph.D. candidate of American history and holds undergraduate degrees in history and political science, as well as an M.A. in American history. His research interests lie within the realm of U.S. immigration, race, and the politics of whiteness during the 19th and early-20th centuries. Currently, Anthony's research deals with the subject of anti-Italian violence in New Orleans as a lens for exploring the broader experiences Italian immigrants within the rigid racial structure of the American South between the 1870s and 1890s.
Michael F Stevens
History
BA History, Indiana University
BA Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Graduate Certificate, Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Michael earned a BA in History from Indiana University, and a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 2022 with Summa Cum Laude honors. He completed a Graduate Certificate in Film and Media Studies with Summa Cum Laude distinction in 2023, also from the University of Cincinnati. Michael's professional background encompasses roles as a journalist, photojournalist, and designer, complemented by a commitment to mentoring within the DAAP program. His research focuses on the confluence of African-American labor and media, with a particular emphasis on the Pullman Company Porters, their depiction in film, and their impact on Black Cinema.
BA Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Graduate Certificate, Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Summa Cum Laude
Michael earned a BA in History from Indiana University, and a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 2022 with Summa Cum Laude honors. He completed a Graduate Certificate in Film and Media Studies with Summa Cum Laude distinction in 2023, also from the University of Cincinnati. Michael's professional background encompasses roles as a journalist, photojournalist, and designer, complemented by a commitment to mentoring within the DAAP program. His research focuses on the confluence of African-American labor and media, with a particular emphasis on the Pullman Company Porters, their depiction in film, and their impact on Black Cinema.
Sage Alessandra Turner
History
Sage Turner is a first year MA History student specializing in Civil War history.
Donny J Watkins
History