Melanie Rush
I am a fourth year American History PhD student. My research focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and law during New York’s era of gradual emancipation. I teach Modern American History at Lehman College and adjunct in the History Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions you may have about program!
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Language Study/Exams, Publishing
Orals Committee: Prof David Waldstreicher (Dissertation), Prof. Ben Carp (Early US), Prof. Libby Garland (Modern US), Prof. Tanisha Ford (Minor Field)
Peer Mentor Co-coordinator 2025-2026
Ian Gregory
I am a third-year French history PhD student. My main research interest is in the history of occultism (including magic, spiritualism, and psychic powers) and how it relates to French political identity. Additionally, I am interested in folklore, the history of antisemitism, and miniatures (doll houses, model railroads, etc.). I am a teaching fellow at Lehman College where I teach Modern European History. I am happy to talk about the first-year experience, and moving to NYC: feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Moving to NY
Orals Committee: Clifford Rosenberg (Dissertation), Elizabeth Heath (19c Europe), Timothy Alborn (20c Europe), Sarah Covington (Minor – Folklore)
Peer Mentor Co-coordinator 2025-2026
Sammie Chomsky
I’m a fourth-year U.S. History PhD student. My minor is in Latin American History. My research interests include twentieth century U.S. labor history, histories of U.S. empire, workers’ education and the civil rights movement. I was a TA at Hunter College during the 2023-2024 academic year and I have been teaching at Queens College since Fall 2024. I moved to New York from Philadelphia to start graduate school, and I’m more than happy to discuss the (sometimes difficult!) adjustment to NYC life. Email me at [email protected] with any questions!
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Language Study/Exams, Moving to NYC
Peer Mentor Co-coordinator, 2024-2025
Danielle Bennett
I’m a 5th year student studying US history and public history. My research interests are at the intersections of LGBTQ+ history and the historic preservation movement. I am also teaching Shaping the Modern World this year at Brooklyn College. I’m happy to answer any questions you have about the first year, first year exams, remote classes, teaching for the first time or anything else you might be wondering at [email protected].
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Conferences, Moving to NY
Orals Committee: Prof. Annie Valk (Dissertation), Prof. John Dixon (Early US), Prof. Tanisha Ford (Late US), Prof. Phil Napoli (Public History)
Peer Mentor Co-coordinator, 2023-2024
Gloria Caminha
I am a PhD candidate studying U.S. history. My research revolves around U.S. and Brazil relations in the 1960s and 1970s focusing on energy issues. I am also interested in women’s history. I have taught US history at Queens College and currently I teach US foreign policy in Latin America at John Jay College. I am an international student living in NYC since 2020. If you have questions about the program, living in NYC, the experiences of an international student in the U.S., the joys and challenges of the first year, or just want to chat, feel free to reach out at [email protected]. I’ll be happy to meet you in person or via Zoom.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Oral Exam, Dissertation Proposal / Defense, Archival Research, Being an International Student, Moving to NY
Robert Cleary
I am in my fifth-year studying U.S. history, with a focus on 20th century LGBTQ history. I’m happy to speak with anyone about the experience of the first year, conducting research, and about what to look forward to progressing through the program.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Oral Exam, Archival Research, Conferences
Orals Committee: Prof. Waldstreicher (early U.S.), Prof. Contreras (later U.S.), Prof. Bennett (minor field), Prof. Valk (dissertation field).
Deena Ecker
I’m a 7th year doctoral candidate and Americanist. I focus on the history of sexuality, gender, urban history, and have a strong interest in public history. My research looks at prostitutes impact on the leisure and pleasure economy, and sexual culture in the early 20th century in New York. I am interesting in producing alternative forms of historical output including fiction writing, documentaries, and podcasts. I teach American History at CCNY.
Ask Me About: Oral Exam, Dissertation Proposal / Defense, Archival Research, Conferences
Oral Committee: Prof. Ben Carp (Early America), Prof. Thomas Kessner (Modern US), Professor Julia Sneeringer (Gender & Sexuality), Prof. Kathleen McCarthy (Dissertation field)
Marta Millar
I’m a fifth-year doctoral student in Modern European History and a Graduate Teaching Fellow at Baruch College. My interests include modern Germany, southern Africa, colonialism, and public history and memory in these contexts. My research explores postcolonial relations between Germany and Namibia, with a specific focus on the role of universities and museums in shaping public memory of the colonial past. I’ve also taught at John Jay College and worked in the German higher education/international exchange space. I will be in Namibia and South Africa from June-December 2025 on a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship, but please don’t hesitate to reach out! I am happy to answer questions about program exams, archival research, grant applications, conferences, teaching, or anything else that might come up. Contact me at [email protected].
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Oral Exam, Dissertation Proposal / Defense, Archival Research, Conferences, External Fellowships, Publishing
Orals Committee: Prof. Ben Hett (major field: modern Europe – continental), Prof. Steven Remy (major field: modern Europe – empires), Prof. Herman Bennett (minor field: modern southern Africa), Prof. Dagmar Herzog (dissertation field: postcolonial memory and imperial sciences)
Pheonix Paz
Phoenix Paz is a 4th-year graduate student in the PhD Program in History at the CUNY Graduate Center, where she studies gold mining and capital creation in 18th-century Nueva Granada (today, Colombia). This summer, Phoenix is doing research at the Archivo General de Indias (AGI) in Sevilla, Spain. She is delighted to talk with you about any questions you might have from returning to university after being in the workforce, changing your dissertation topic, to balancing teaching and learning commitments.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Conferences, External Fellowships, Moving to NY
Orals Committee: Professor Mary Roldan (major field: Colombian history), Professor Laird Bergad (Colonial Latin America), Professor Mark Rice (Modern Latin America), Professor Tim Alborn (Minor Field: History of Science, Tech, and Environment)
Rashmi
I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student at the CUNY Graduate Center and a Graduate Teaching Fellow at Baruch College. I have taught courses on World History, and I will be teaching Modern US in Fall 2025. I am researching the social and political history of marginalized working women in South Asia, with a focus on gender, race, sexuality, and social hierarchies. If you have questions or concerns about the first year of the program, adjusting to the city, or navigating life at the GC, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Ask Me About: Oral Exam, First Year Exam, Archival Research, Being an International Student
Orals Committee: Prof. Swapna Banerjee (Dissertation), Prof. Anne Valk (Oral/Public/Digital History), Prof. Manu Bhagavan (Modern South Asia), Prof. Elissa Bemporad (Modern Europe)
Rachel Tiven
I work on women’s long quest for economic and political citizenship in the United States. My dissertation is a political history of the Nineteenth Amendment. In my prior career I was a civil rights lawyer and ran LGBTQ and immigrant rights organizations. Happy to talk about orals, academic and other forms of history writing, being a second-career grad student, and more.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Oral Exam, Dissertation Proposal / Defense
Orals committee: Donna Haverty-Stacke (Diss.), David Waldstreicher (Early U.S.), Libby Garland (Later U.S.), Dagmar Herzog (Minor).
Chris Del Santo
I am a fourth-year student in the PhD program, current co-chair of the Early American Republic Seminar, one of the co-founders of the History of Capitalism reading group, and a graduate teaching assistant at Hunter College. I am happy to talk about early U.S. and Atlantic history, historiography, or anything about grad school. My email is [email protected].
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Language Study / Exams
Orals Committee: Prof. Waldstreicher, Prof. Carp, Prof. Robertson, Prof. Ford
Chris Del Santo
I am a 4th year PhD Candidate studying the Jewish communities of the early modern British Caribbean. My research interest include gender dynamics in the slave society, the Sephardic diaspora and Atlantic history. I taught broad undergraduate classes at both Brooklyn College and Baruch College (“Global History” and “Shaping of the Modern World”). I would be glad to answer any questions about being an international student in New York, First Year exams, Orals, Teaching or Dissertation Proposals.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Oral Exam, Dissertation Proposal / Defense, Being an International Student
Orals Committee: Prof. Bregoli (Dissertation), Prof. Dixon (Early American Jewish History), Prof. Covington (Early Modern European), Prof. Bemporad (Modern European)
Kristen Foland-majkut
I’m a third-year PhD student in American History. My research is on social and cultural histories of philanthropy in late 19th century New York with specific focus on public health and disease. I’ll be TA’ing modern U.S. History at Hunter College in the fall and will be helping organize the Graduate Student Conference in 2025. I’m happy to speak about anything program related including the research process, first-year experience, etc. You can reach me at [email protected]!
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research
Orals Committee: Kathleen McCarthy, Kara Schlichting, Benjamin Carp, Anne Valk
Sato Moughalian
I am a third-year Modern European History PhD student with a minor in Armenian studies. I’m working on intersections of visual/cultural production with mass violence and state and identity formation, from the late-nineteenth into the early-twentieth centuries, and hope to have a second minor field in Middle East studies. I came to graduate school during Covid, after my career as a classical flutist was upended by the pandemic. I earned an MA at GC and stayed on in the History program. As an arts professional, I gained a lot of experience in grant writing, and as a longtime New Yorker, know the city pretty well. I am happy to provide moral support and answer any questions I can. Email: [email protected]
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Conferences, Publishing, Moving to NY
Orals Committee: Prof. Tim Alborn, Prof. Elissa Bemporad, Prof. Simon Davis + 1
Chris Harding
I’m Chris, a third year student who specialises on the Middle East. I work on Palestinian history during the Mandate years (1922-48) – on class, labour, and capital. Feel free to reach out with any qs about living in nyc, life at the Grad Center, community organising (Palestine and union stuff), and anything else: [email protected]
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Language Study / Exams
Orals Committee: Prof. Baron, Prof. Davis, Prof. Alborn, Prof. Can
Bret Windhauser
I am a third-year student specializing in the Middle East. My research interests include the history of Iraq, medicine, smuggling and illegality, death and burial, biopolitics, gender and bodies. You can reach me at [email protected].
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Conferences, Language Study / Exams
Orals Committee: Professor Beth Baron (Middle East), Professor Lale Can (Middle East), Professor Zoe Griffith (Middle East), Professor Gunja SenGupta (Africa)
Elisabeth Champion
I’m a second-year student studying Modern European history, with a focus on Nazi Germany, gender, sexuality, and sexual politics. My research focuses closely on the Hitler Youth and adolescents after WWII. I’ll be teaching a Modern European history course at City College of New York this semester. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about courses, the first-year exam, archival research, moving to New York, or anything else! I can be reached at: [email protected].
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Language Study / Exams, Moving to NY
Jessica Webster
I’m a second year PhD student focusing on US cultural and intellectual history. I am also a practicing archivist, and my work focuses on the intersections of archival collecting, historical memory, public history, race, and gender, particularly in the late 20th century. I have taught and presented in my archival career, have worked in CUNY for a long time, and am a native New Yorker, so I’m happy to be a resource! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Conferences
Karlee Adler
I’m a second-year student studying early American history with a particular interest in print culture and identity. I’ll be a TA at Hunter College for the American History Since 1865 course and co-chair of the Early American Republic Seminar. Feel free to reach out to me to talk about reading/note-taking strategies, navigating New York, or anything else about the first year in the program.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Moving to NY
Xavier Fitzsimmons Cruz
I am a second year PhD at the GC studying 20th century American history. I am a Provost Enhancement Fellow and I am happy to talk to anyone about the history program, moving to NYC, any anxieties folks might have about graduate school, mental health and first year exams. My email is [email protected].
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Moving to NY
Yuliya Barycheuskaya
I am a Ph.D. candidate in History whose research focuses on popular culture, gender, love, and sexuality in Eastern Europe during the late Soviet and post-Soviet transitional period of the 1990s. I can offer guidance on a range of topics, from defining broader professional goals and mapping out a Ph.D. trajectory to discussing disability accommodations and navigating institutional resources.
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Oral Exam, Dissertation Proposal / Defense, Archival Research, Conferences, Being an International Student, Publishing, Moving to NY, disability accomodations for the exams and other milestones, changing advisors, picking a certificate program
Chloe Stoia
I’m a second year student studying modern U.S. history. My research interests include Puerto Rican history, women’s history, history of medicine, colonialism, and imperialism. Feel free to email [email protected] with any questions about moving to New York, adjusting to grad school life, archival research, the first year exam, or anything else!
Ask Me About: First Year Exam, Archival Research, Moving to NY
Mentors Emeriti
Chris Rominger
I am a 2018 GC graduate and Assistant Professor at the University of North Florida. I study migration and political consciousness in the early 20th century Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Tunisians during and following the First World War. I’m eager to help my fellow students with teaching, honing in on a dissertation topic, applying for grants, presenting at conferences, and overcoming the stresses and challenges of life as a graduate student. Feel free to email me at [email protected].
Katrina Wheeler
I am a sixth-year PhD Candidate in early modern European history. My dissertation is on French Protestant (Huguenot) religious experience during the French Revolution, particularly their use of the Psalms in liturgical and devotional practices. I am happy to offer advice using library resources, preparing for the oral exams, writing at different stages of the program, and the WAC experience. [email protected].
Davide Colasanto
I’m a sixth year History PhD student specializing in post-war European History. I have a strong interest in the history of sexuality in relation to war and violence. My research investigates how Fascism, and World War II influenced Italian masculinity from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. I have taught for the past four years at Queens College and at LaGuardia Community College. I was a Summer Peer Mentor for the GC Teaching and Learning Institute for the past two years. I’m happy to help with any question on student oriented pedagogy, first/second year requirements, orals’ preparation, and international students’ adjustment to US academic system and life. [email protected].
Miriam Liebman
I am a History PhD candidate with a focus on early US History. My dissertation looks at the ways American women acted in diplomatic capacities abroad, specifically in London and Paris, during the Age of Revolutions. I teach US History at Queens College and was a Writing Across the Curriculum Fellow at the CUNY Law School. I am one of the co-founders, along with Davide, of the GC mentor initiative, “Teaching Conversations.” I served as co-chair of EARS for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years. I am happy to answer questions about teaching, grant applications, and exams. Feel free to email me at [email protected].
Sophie Tunney
I am a 5th year history PhD student that focuses on early modern France and its colonies. I research international botanical networks, and I focus on the intersections between slavery, colonization, science, and the state. I am interested in eighteenth century luxury debates and the emergence of Physiocracy. I am happy to discuss teaching (both online and in-person), balancing academic and personal life, researching abroad, and how to live in this crazy-wonderful city. I can also recommend a few tips and tricks to staying relatively sane during the covid-19 quarantine
Maayan Brodsky
I’m a fifth-year modern Americanist interested in secrecy in government, with a focus on the 60s and 70s. My current project is on Richard Nixon’s interest in secrecy, intelligence operations, and control of information. I’ve been teaching modern American history at Baruch College for the past two years. I’ll be happy to discuss any GC and non-GC issues you might be facing. Also, I have lots of advice on the somewhat less-official aspects of the GC (that sentence will make sense when you get to know me). You can often find me at the history-lounge and you can always contact me at [email protected]
Madeline Lafuse
I’m an American History PhD candidate who researches enslaved women and poison in 19th century New Orleans and who teaches Foundations of US History at Lehman College. I can speak from experience about coming to the history program with little undergraduate preparation in the discipline, embracing the joys and sorrows of cultural history, and I am also always up for a Zoom. Feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Stephanie Makowski
I’m a seventh year modern Europeanist and my dissertation is on interracial relationships in Britain from the interwar to the postwar period. I’ve taught for three years and did my WAC fellowship at Brooklyn College. I have also taught at The Cooper Union as an adjunct, and have filled various student worker positions at the GC. Come talk to me about anything from getting through your first year exams to adjusting to a grad student schedule or about teaching, working, or overseas research. If you have any health-insurance related questions, I have some experience navigating those waters as well. Reach me any time at [email protected]
Daniela Traldi
I am a doctoral candidate working on Latin America and Women’s and Gender History. I have a broad range of interests: gender theory, women’s movements, sexuality studies, debates on race and race relations, among other topics. My research looks into gender, race and nationalism in modern Brazil. Some of my previous work explored the extent to which ideals and cultural conceptions about womanhood were politically manipulated and/ or fully embraced by the far-right. I’m also a mentor with the CUNY Pipeline Program, which provides educational and financial support to undergraduates from groups underrepresented in universities. Many of them end up choosing the academic path via doctoral programs! I’m happy to support fellow students and/ or anyone who may be interested in becoming one!
Phelim Dolan
I’m a PhD candidate who works on early modern Ireland and Europe. I have returned to grad school after a career in the film and television business. My undergraduate degree was in English Literature, and I continue to take an interdisciplinary approach to my research. As a mentor I think I have (hopefully) valuable experience with pursuing graduate studies after / while pursuing another career. [email protected]
Oscar Aponte
I’m a fourth-year student in Latin American and Carribean history focusing on Colombia and the Amazon rainforest. My research revolves around agrarian history, rural colonization, indigenous peoples and the state, infrastructure projects, and extractive economies. I’m also interested in environmental history, history of the press, labor history, Latinx studies, and critical theory. I’m a Graduate Teaching Fellow at City College and was a Fellow at the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have about the program or living in New York as an international student, I’ll be more than happy to help. Email: [email protected]
Tamara Maatouk
I am a Ph.D. candidate in modern Middle Eastern history with a minor in cultural history. My current research explores the intersection of cinema and politics in socialist Egypt, with attention to histories of culture, concepts, and emotions. I have taught Modern Egypt and Egypt under Nasser at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Twentieth-Century Middle East at City College. I am happy to chat about first-year concerns, comprehensive exam, certificate program, and teaching. I can be reached at [email protected]
Miranda Brethour
I’m a third-year PhD student in the History Department who works on modern Europe, specifically Jewish-Gentile relations during the Holocaust in rural Poland. I’m an international student from Canada and an incoming teaching fellow at Brooklyn College. Please feel free to reach out to me about the program (especially the first-year exam and coursework), the shift to online courses, international student life, or with any other questions you may have. Email: [email protected].
Madeline DeDe-Panken
I’m an American History PhD candidate with a focus on women and gender and interests in public history. My work explores the gendered dimensions of mycological science as part of an American food fad at the turn of the twentieth century, which is why you may hear me referred to as “Mushroom Mady.” I teach at Lehman College and have twice served as co-coordinator of the Peer Mentor Program. I am happy to chat about teaching, public history, organization strategies for life and research, managing grad student anxieties, contending with the two body problem, or anything else on your mind. Reach out anytime – [email protected].
Yanara Schmacks
I’m a rising seventh-year modern Europeanist focusing on the history of twentieth-century Germany, specifically on the politics of reproduction and motherhood in the aftermath of National Socialism in both East and West. I used to teach early modern European history at Lehman College. Feel free to reach out to [email protected].
Helena Yoo
I am a PhD candidate and focus on early America. I am particularly interested in questions about imperial connections, communication networks, and provincial identity. I am happy to talk about anything and everything about my experiences thus far at the GC and can answer questions about the first year experience (settling in, preparing for exams, etc) and about living in NYC! You can reach me at [email protected].
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