UM Makes Strong Showing at Northwest Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference
Top Row, Left to Right: Jody Pavilack, Kyle Volk, Iliana Capozzoli, Wade Davies, Jack Anderson, Indy Hite, Beth Schofield; Bottom Row, Left to Right: Daniel Martin, Emma Siewert, Gaven Meyer, James Been-Rodriguez, Claire Brolling, Kasey Binsted, Ana Alonso (not pictured Jeff LeRoy)
On April 23–25, 2026, three UM History professors and thirteen undergraduate and graduate students traveled to Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, for the annual Phi Alpha Theta Northwest Regional Conference. Phi Alpha Theta is the national history honor society, and the regional conference brings together students and faculty from universities and colleges across the Northwest, including Gonzaga, MSU, Boise State, the University of Idaho, Carroll College, Eastern, Central, and Western Washington Universities, the University of Portland, and more.
As in past years, UM History brought one of the largest student groups to the conference, with five undergraduates, five MA students, and three PhD students presenting original research developed over the past semester or longer. Their topics ranged from Indigenous struggles in 19th- and 20th-century Montana to U.S. relations with Cuba, Puerto Rico, Panama, and Brazil.
Two UM students were nominated for Best Paper awards:
- MA student Emma Siewert (pictured to the right) for “'The Man of Men': Representations of Toussaint Louverture in American Abolitionist Literature, 1791-1861”
- Undergraduate Jack Anderson for “Montana County-Busting: The Social Implications of the Progressive Movement’s Forgotten Attempt at Direct Democracy During the Turn of the Twentieth Century”
Congratulations to all the students and faculty who participated in this engaging—and very fun—weekend of historical research and conversation.