MEET THE CURRENT LEPAGE CENTER INTERNS
This year, the Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest is delighted to partner with Temple University's Dialogue Institute, The Rosenbach Museum & Library, Science History Institute, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, the Margaret Grundy Archive, Hagley Museum and Library, Historic Prallsville, the American Historical Association, Roebling Museum and the Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi Project.
We are proud to have eight graduate students and four undergraduate History students representing our center in the wider world of historical research and scholarship.
Ilyssa Abbott '26 MA
Ilyssa Abbott '26 MA graduates with an internship at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. With a background as a high school history teacher and cultural historian, Ilyssa is interested in creating history content for diverse audiences that is accessible, interesting, relevant and relatable. She will work with the Science History Institute to make lesson plans and educational resources that connect science history with the people behind it, providing meaningful and enriching learning experiences to the public.
Joseph Blaney '26 MA
This summer, Joseph Blaney '26 MA heads to the Hagley Museum in Wilmington, DE. Located on 235 acres along the banks of the Brandywine River, Hagley is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802. Working alongside former Villanova master's student Hannah Pfeifer '22 MA, Joseph will assist in developing the museum's latest exhibition.
Nideen Froukh '27 MA
Nideen Froukh '27 MA is a first year graduate student pursuing her masters in History under the Presidential Graduate Fellowship for Underrepresented Students. As a Palestinian-American historian and museum professional specializing in public history and Southwest Asian and Northern African studies, she is interested in histories of decolonization, collective memory, diasporic studies and social justice. During her internship with the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library, she will process, digitize and research the museum's Fleetwings archival collection.
Weronika Grajdura '26 MA
Weronika Grajdura '26 MA is an aspiring public history professional who believes that the greatest strength of cultural institutions is their ability to break down barriers and educate the public on themes informing modern-day issues. Her academic interests focus on identity formation in immigrant communities, specifically among Polish-Americans. She will spend her summer working at the Roebling Museum in Roebling, NJ, working to further enhance public access to the museum's collections focusing on local industrial histories and immigrant experiences.
Kenzie Hoff '27 MA
Kenzie Hoff '27 MA is a public historian and first year graduate student. Her research areas of interest center around women in the ancient world, with a particular love for anything related to Hatshepsut. This summer, Kenzie will digitize and catalogue the Fabric Workshop and Museum's art collection while also assisting with its execution of upcoming exhibitions.
Abigail Killion '27 MA
Abigail Killion '27 MA is a first year graduate student, concentrating her historical studies on intersectional identities such as race, gender, and ethnicity. She will intern this summer with Prallsville Mills Conservancy, a historical site managed by the Delaware River Mill Society. There, she will review prior research about the mill's historic structures and the people who once lived and worked there. Her work will be used to create an updated Interpretive Manual for visitors. She will also research topics for upcoming history programming at the site.
Margaret Miller '28 CLAS
Margaret Miller '28 CLAS is a rising junior studying History and Cultural Studies with a minor in Political Science. She is especially interested in disability and LGBTQ+ history. She will be interning at the Rosenbach Museum and Library, contributing to collections stewardship and helping educators lead the Readers' Retreat at the Rosenbach Camp.
Kennis Murphy '27 CLAS
Kennis Murphy '27 CLAS will intern with the American Historical Association (AHA) in Washington D.C. She will work on a variety of projects including the creation of educational resources and primary source analysis with the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Mid-Atlantic and U.S. Territories Region housed at the AHA. She will also be conducting and presenting research for the AHA's Congressional Briefings series, which seeks to provide Congressional staff members, journalists, and other members of the policy community with the historical context essential to understanding contemporary issues.
Natalie Murphy '27 CLAS
Natalie Murphy '27 CLAS is a rising senior History major with double minors in Political Science and Peace and Justice Studies. Her work is primarily focused on the intersectionality of race, gender and sexuality in the twentieth century U.S. She is currently working on a research project centered on Black lesbians during the AIDS epidemic in New York City. This summer, Natalie is excited to work alongside Dave Kreuger, PhD, at The Dialogue Institute at Temple University, where she will be researching religious identities in early Philadelphia.
Jaclyn Nathanson '26 CLAS
Senior Art History Jaclyn Nathanson '26 CLAS will spend her summer at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, where she will pursue her passion for expanding access to the fine arts and fostering meaningful engagement across diverse communities. Her academic focus centers on French art history, enriched by formal study of the French language and immersion in francophone culture through Villanova's language program. Beyond the classroom, Jaclyn served as assistant to Jennie Castillo, curator and director of the University's art gallery. Her work at the museum will support artist research, photographic documentation, cataloging of artwork and the execution of exhibitions.
Alex Shehigan '26 MA
Graduating masters student Alex Shehigian '26 MA will work with the Civil War & Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi project (CWRGM). Her contributions will include transcribing nineteenth-century documents, assigning subject tags and conducting archival research. Alex’s research interests include U.S. Reconstruction and histories of youth and high school athletics. As a rising public history professional, she is passionate about making history accessible to broad audiences and looks forward to contributing to the CWRGM’s public-facing collection.
Will Rigual '27 MA
Will Rigual '27 MA will spend his summer at the American Historical Association. As an undergraduate student, he studied Political Science and History with a Classical Studies minor. He is interested in 19th century American History, particularly relating to the Civil War.
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