Student Awards and Honors

Recipients for 2023-24

Student prizes are selected by a faculty Honors Committee and awarded at the department's annual commencement ceremony. Prizes are supported, in part, by gifts to the History Annual Fund.


Ph.D. Student Prizes

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize

Hayley Rucker

Best Graduate Seminar Paper Prize

Carlotta Wright De La Cal

George T. Guttridge Prize for British or American Colonial History

Calvin Paulson

David Hollinger Prize for Intellectual History

Hu Hsu

Leon Litwack Graduate Essay Prize for African-American History

Kate Kuisel

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award

Russell L. Weber

Undergraduate Prizes

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation

David Villani

Department Citation

David Villani

Leon Litwack Prize for African-American History

Alex Ayala

Matilda Morrison Miller Award for the History of the Western United States

Ariana Elizabeth Perry Kretz

2023-2024 Proposed Honors List

Requirements for graduating with Honors in History

Highest Honors

Alejandro Alvarez

Brendan Goodwin

Ariana Kretz

Rosa Murphy

David Villani 

High Honors

Zalea A. Bjorgum

Clara De Goldsmith-Rothschild

Jonah Gottlieb

Agustin de Jesus

Andrey Kapustin

Hrag Kassabian

Emily Lai

Fiona McMahon

Hannah Peebles

Kara Smale

Madeline Vea

Timothy Yue

Honors

Sarah Delaney Degner

Ronan Morrill

Maria Newman

Emma Younger

Phi Beta Kappa Members

2023-2024 Members

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest academic honor society, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Election to Phi Beta Kappa is a recognition of academic achievement, especially in the acquisition of knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences.


Alejandro Manuel Alvarez

Kacie Lia Cosgrove

Ariana Elizabeth Perry Kretz

Rosa Bradley Murphy

William Brandt

Sarah Caso

Solomon Eliot Heurmann Nichols

Kara Smale

Past Prize Recipients

2023

Ph.D. Student Prizes

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Kimberly Killion

Best Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Julie Frankenbach

Michael I. Gurevich Memorial Prize in Russian History
Jacob Smiley

George T. Guttridge Prize for British or American Colonial History
Russell L. Weber
Claire Wrigley

David Hollinger Prize for Intellectual History
Jonathan Andrew Lear

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award
Cameron Black

Leon Litwack Graduate Essay Prize for African-American History
Mario Burrus

Leon Litwack Dissertation Prize for African-American History
Nicole Viglini

Leo Lowenthal Memorial Prize
Sean Cronan

Undergraduate Prizes

Matilda Morrison Miller Award for the History of the Western United States
Aaron Perry Hill

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Xinyi (Amy) Chen

Leon Litwack Prize for African-American History
Tiger Schenkman

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Elena Kempf

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Sean Cronan

George Guttridge Prize for British or American Colonial History
Annabel LaBrecque
Eva Vaillancourt

David Hollinger Prize for Intellectual History
Craig Johnson

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award
Grace Goudiss

Matilda Morrison Miller Award for the History of the Western United States
Zahra Bokhari Hasanian

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Dorian Cole

2022

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Elena Kempf

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Sean Cronan

George Guttridge Prize for British or American Colonial History
Annabel LaBrecque
Eva Vaillancourt

David Hollinger Prize for Intellectual History
Craig Johnson

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award
Grace Goudiss

Matilda Morrison Miller Award for the History of the Western United States
Zahra Bokhari Hasanian

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Dorian Cole

2021

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Joy Neumeyer

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Sean Cronan

George Guttridge Prize for British or American Colonial History
John Handel
Brendan Mackie

David Hollinger Prize for Intellectual History
Gloria Yu

Leo Lowenthal Memorial Prize
Paulina Hartono

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award
Xavier Buck

Matilda Morrison Miller Award for the History of the Western United States
Tara Madhav

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Duncan Wanless

2020

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize

Joel Pattison

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize

Samuel Stubblefield


Michael I. Gurevich Prize for Russian History

Valentina Viktorovskaia


George Guttridge Prize for British or American Colonial History

Simon Brown
Sophie Fitzmaurice

David Hollinger Prize for Intellectual History

David Delano

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award

Anthony Gregory


Charlene Conrad Liebau Library Prize for Undergraduate Research

Nicholas Pingitore


Matilda Morrison Miller Award for the History of the Western United States

Fallon Burner

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation

 Nicholas Pingitore

2019

Friends of Cal Dissertation
Julia Shatz

Graduate Seminar Paper
Christene Stratman

George Guttridge Prize for British or American Colonial History
Chrsitopher Lawson

Leo Lowenthal Memorial Prize
Nicole Viglini

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award
Julia Lewandoski

David Hollinger Prize for Intellectual History
Shoufu Yin

Matilda Morrison Miller Award for the History of the Western United States
Efran Moradi

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Emily Breay

2018

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Samuel Stubblefield

Michael I. Gurevich Prize
Jillian Forsyth & Harrison King

George Guttridge Prize
Franklin Sammons & Sarah Stoller

David Hollinger Prize
Timothy C. Wright

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Christopher Casey

Fred J. Martin American Political History Award
Robert Nelson

Matilda Morrison Miller Award
Brittney Nareau

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Camille Jetta

2017

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Benjamin Daniels

Michael I. Gurevich Prize
Emily Hoge

George Guttridge Prize
Trevor Jackson
Jason Ross Rozumalski

David Hollinger Prize
Anthony Gregory

Leo Lowenthal Memorial Prize
Sophie FitzMaurice

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Bathsheba Demuth

Charlene Conrad Liebau Library Prize
Justin Germain
Michelaina Johnson

Matilda Morrison Miller Award
Henry Clay Carter

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Ryan L. Culpeper

2016

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Sophie FitzMaurice

Michael I. Gurevich Prize
Michael Coates
Hillary Lynd

George Guttridge Prize
Julia Lewandoski
Ivana Mirkovic

David Hollinger Prize
Jenni Allen

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Sarah Hines

Charlene Conrad Liebau Library Prize
James Bradley
Charlotte Hull

Matilda Morrison Miller Award
Erin Shoshana Faigin

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Conner Kenneth Grubaugh

2015

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Sheer Ganor

Michael I. Gurevich Prize
Jesus Madrigal
Joy Emma Neumeyer

George Guttridge Prize
Sam Wetherell

Leo Lowenthal Memorial Prize
Robert Lee

David Hollinger Prize
Samantha Iyer

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
David Beecher

Charlene Conrad Liebau Library Prize
Michelaina Johnson

Matilda Morrison Miller Award
Bernard Remollino

Department Citation
John Williams

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize
Luther Cenci
John Williams

2014

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Aaron Hall

Michael I. Gurevich Prize
Thomas Lowish

George Guttridge Prize
India Mandelkern
Tehila Sasson

David Hollinger Prize
Grahame Foreman
Robert Lee

Colin Miller Prize
Alice Main

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Albert Wu

Matilda Morrison Miller Award
Rachel Lynne Cadman

Charlene Conrad Liebau Library Prize
Rachel Lynne Cadman
Matthew William Enger

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Adrian Butler

2013

Graduate Seminar Paper Prize
Joseph Kellner
Brendan Shanahan

Michael I. Gurevich Prize
Mirjam Voerkelius

George Guttridge Prize
Robert Lee
Radhika Anita Natarajan

Leo Lowenthal Memorial Prize
Sarah Gold McBride

Colin Miller Prize
Elena Kempf

Friends of Cal History Dissertation Prize
Ariel Ron

Matilda Morrison Miller Award
Madeleine Seiwald

Friends of Cal History Thesis Prize & Department Citation
Amelia Lincoln