Five Central College history students traveled to Chicago in January to attend the 139th annual meeting of the American Historical Association, the largest gathering of historians in the world.
Students attending were Steel (Reese) Anderson, Class of 2028 political science and history major, Caelin Barbour, Class of 2026 history and political science major, Chris Little, Class of 2026 history and sociology major, Josh Kuhlers, Class of 2028 history major, and Lauryn Venema, Class of 2026 history major. The students were accompanied to the conference held in downtown Chicago by Lori Witt, associate professor of history. At the conference, students attended scholarly sessions, receptions and an undergraduate orientation designed to introduce students to professional historical research.
“The AHA has worked hard to include undergraduates in this very large professional conference,” Witt said. “It gave our students a chance to see how historians share research, debate ideas and connect their work to issues that matter today.”
Central faculty also were represented on the national stage. Tim Olin, associate professor of history, participated in a panel discussion titled “Seeking People, Keeping People: Migration Policy as Political-Economic Strategy,” which examined immigration from historical and global perspectives.
“It was great for our students to see Dr. Olin present his work alongside other historians and to connect historical scholarship with contemporary immigration issues,” Witt said.
For students, the experience reinforced the value of studying history. “The AHA was definitely an eye opener for what it means to be a history major,” Little said. “History supports the humanities by giving them a foundation and a backbone. Everyone needs history in their life, first to create meaningful experiences, and second to understand how the world works. That is why history matters.”
Anderson said the conference connected directly to multiple fields of study. “It was great as a history major but also as a political science major. It was an amazing opportunity and made me so thankful to be Central Dutch.”
The trip provided students with a firsthand look at the professional world of historians while highlighting Central’s commitment to undergraduate research and experiential learning.
Photo caption: While attending the American Historical Association meeting, Central College students gathered for a photo with the AHA president. From left: Steel Anderson ’28, Caelin Barbour ’26, Chris Little ’26, Ben Vinson III, AHA president, Josh Kuhlers ’28, Lauryn Venema ’26 and Lori Witt.
