Spring 2023 Scholarship & Award Winners

Milton Plesur Memorial Scholarship Winners

Published May 22, 2023

On Saturday May 20, 2023, the Department of History held its 36th Annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony in the Student Union Theater.

Graduates and Award Winners Honored

UB's class of 2023 celebrated their commencement ceremonies this past weekend. The festivities included the Department of History's 36th Annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony. This year's graduating BAs, MAs, award winners, depatment faculty, family and friends gathered in the Student Union Theater to celebrate the many accomplishments of our History students! The ceremony also included a speak from retiring History Professor Tamara Plakins Thornton.

All attending graduates were celebrated individually with certificates and biographies detailing their time at UB.

Class of 2023 Department of History Graduating MAs and BAs

The Department of History also formally announced the winners of this years Spring Scholarships, Awards, and Prizes:

College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Senior Award
Russel Bassarath

Department of History Outstanding Senior Award
Noah Bruster

Milton Plesur Memorial Scholarship
Rafi Ahmed
Atallia Brown
Rebecca McGlynn
Elizabeth Mellors
Leah Perry
Elliot Seminario
Fiona Serrano
Darcy Winter

Bryan G. Argo Memorial Scholarship
John Graber

Joyce J. and John D. Milligan and Family Scholarship
Joshua Brice

Department of History Undergraduate Diversity Scholarship
Zachary Henry-Daniel
Alexi Lodes
Melanie Thompson

Department of History Merit Scholarship
Mia Delap
Montana Desabio
Isabella DiMura
Mary Dixon
Megan Dreher
Jacob Klink
Aurora Liu
Teresa Sciandra
Kate Stiglmeier
Hongyu Zhao

Schoellkopf Award for Study Abroad
Nicholas Sarris

Best Undergraduate Thesis Prize
Ryan Cocchiarella
“Media, Drugs, and their Role in Shaping the Memory of the Vietnam War”

Best Undergraduate Seminar Paper Prize
Michael Rechichi
“William Dampier’s Travels in the Pacific Ocean”

Outstanding MA Thesis Prize
James Coughlin
“City of Distant Neighbors: The Proliferation and Entrenchment of Residential Segregation in Buffalo, New York (1934 to 1961)”

Honorable Mention:
Molly McCreedy
“’The World is Afraid of Black Female Champions:’ Colonialism and Racial Othering in Women’s Sport”

Congratulations to all our Graduates and Award Winners!