Clarissa Brown
Fall 2025 Cohort
Clarissa Brown is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison majoring in History. Originally from Los Angeles, California, she loves meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures, which is one of the reasons she is so excited to be a part of this project. In her free time, Clarissa enjoys playing golf and pickleball, watching Law and Order, and spending time with her friends and family.
Gabriel Corro
Fall 2025 Cohort
Gabriel Corro is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 2027 and majoring in History and Political Science. Gabe has always loved history, working with Wisconsin 101, Pacific Atrocities Education, and the Rock County Historical Society to further this passion.
Anika Feinsilver
Fall 2025 Cohort
Anika Feinsilver is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in History and earning certificates in Material Culture and Jewish Studies. A native New Yorker, her passion is weaving together personal and often overlooked histories through tangible artifacts and art.
Kira Funk
Spring 2025 Cohort
Kira Funk is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin, majoring in Global Health with a certificate in Economic Development. As an intern, Kira studied the legal system of pre-Revolutionary War North Carolina in her story about Adam.
Amanda Grant
Fall 2024 Cohort
Amanda Grant is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in History and Art History with a certificate in African Studies. As an intern, she’s written three stories. Her first is about an unnamed Malagasy woman who was enslaved in pre-revolutionary New Jersey. She studied enslaved Africans with connections to the Spanish Atlantic for her story about Mona. And she considered relationships between Black and Indigenous peoples on Long Island for her story about Toney and Jack.
Molly Laughlin
Fall 2025 Cohort
Molly Laughlin in a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in History and Political Science. She is from Greensboro, North Carolina and plans to attend Law School after graduation.
Sara Ortenzio
Spring 2024 Cohort
Sara Ortenzio is pursuing a Genetics major and History certificate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As an intern, Sara researched enslaved women and children in the Caribbean for her story about Monday. She has also explored slavery’s relationship to horse racing in early North Carolina for her story about Charles Thompson.
Katie Perkins
Spring 2025 Cohort
Katie Perkins is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in History and Economics with a Math Emphasis. As an intern, she wrote about strategies used by women in escaping enslavement in the early 1800s, focusing on the story of a woman named Hannah. In her free time, she enjoys playing music in UW’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Band, traveling, and cooking.
Mia Pyle
Fall 2025 Cohort
Mia Pyle is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in History and English, with certificates in Medieval and European Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing tunes with the Badger Marching Band.
Jennifer Santos
Spring 2025 Cohort
Jennifer Santos, a Michigan native, is pursuing a History major and a certificate in Education Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As an intern, Jennifer researched the role of male domestics, specifically the waiting man, to write the story of Harry.
Margaret Shreiner
Spring 2024 Cohort
Margaret Shreiner is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison double majoring in Journalism and History with a certificate in Digital Media Analytics. As an intern, Margaret researched post-Revolutionary War Philadelphia while writing about Alice. She also explored the history of tavern culture in early America while writing the story of Edward Tamar.
Amanda Smith
Spring 2025 Cohort
Amanda Smith is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in History and International Studies, with certificates in Public Policy and European Studies. As an intern, Amanda researched the familial and kinship networks among enslaved persons in early 19th-century America, with a particular focus on a woman named Fame and how these networks influenced women’s experiences during this period.
Haleigh Smith
Fall 2025 Cohort
Haleigh Smith is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in English, History, and Gender Studies, with certificates in Folklore and LGBTQIA+ Studies. As an intern, Haleigh is hoping to focus on stories of freedom seekers around the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountain regions. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and finding the best trivia in Madison.
Sidney Wang
Spring 2025 Cohort
Sidney Wang is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in History with a certificate in East Asian Studies. She is from Beijing, China. As an intern, she researched agriculture and material culture in post-Revolutionary War Northern Virginia for her story about Minny.
Rhea Yenubari
Spring 2025 Cohort
Rhea Yenubari is a sophomore pursuing a dual degree in Economics and Data Science. She is from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.