John Rodahl

 

Age: 53                                                           

Year Attended: Teacher Scholar 1999

College: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee     Graduation:  1974

Academic Honors:  BA

Personal Comments:  Joined my local Civil War Round Table.  Used info for my lesson plans.  This was one of the top professional honors I have received!  Also vied info for one of my Grad classes.

 

Thomas Seaver

 

Age: 48                                                           

Year Attended: Teacher Scholar 1999

Phone:  401-766-1749

College: Providence College                                         Graduation:  1978

Academic Honors: BA and MA in History

Personal Comments:  The CWI experience made me a better teacher of the Civil War era in my United States History classes.

 

Jennifer Shank

 

Age: 28                                   

Year Attended:  Student Scholar 1993

High School:  Waynesboro Area Senior High School     Graduation:  1994       

College: Shippensburg University                                              Graduation: 1998; 2003

Academic Honors: BA in History; BS Psychology; MA in Applied History; 1998 graduate magna cum laude; 2003 graduate summa cum laude

Work Experience:  Eisenhower National Historic Site; Graduate Assistant for Office of Social Equity at Shippensburg University; Continuing Education Coordinator at Ecobroker, Inc.

Personal Comments:  Enjoyed the CW Institute very much and am thankful for the experience-was encouraged to apply for the scholarship by high school history teacher Darwin Seiler.  Have attended a variety of programs and lectures at Gettysburg College since the Institute.

 

Erin Sheehan

 

Age: 18                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 2003

High School: Campbell High School                  Graduation: 2004

College: Assumption College                            

Academic Honors: Who's Who Among American High School Students; High Honors through High School; ranked third in High School class; Presidential Scholar at Assumption College

Personal Comments:  The CWI was an unbelievable experience that I will always remember.  I was fortunate enough to attend the CWI and have the opportunity to meet so many unforgettable people.  I have never learned so much in one week and had so much fun doing it.

 

Heidi Marie Schuster

 

Age: 21                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 2000

High School: Red Lion Area Senior High           Graduation: 2001

College: Gettysburg College                              Graduation: 2005

Academic Honors: National Honor Society in high school; graduated high school cum laude; Dean's List in college; Phi Alpha Theta (History Honor Society)

Work Experience: Wal-Mart East York; Gap; Civil War Institute Research Assistant

Personal Comments:  After my scholarship year at the CWI, I applied to college.  It was because of the program that I really wanted to come back and give back to the program.  Now I am on staff at the CWI.  The scholarship program truly impacts people's lives.  I am fortunate that I attended the Institute as a student.

 

Heather Pauline Snively

 

Age: 19                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 2002

High School: 2003

College: Shippensburg University         

Academic Honors: Who's Who Among American High School Students

Work Experience: Bath and Body Works Associate; tour guide at Renfrew Park

Personal Comments:  The Civil War Institute has helped open many doors for me during my high school and college career.  It has helped me to pursue my goals at becoming an American history teacher.

 

Thomas M. Sobottke

 

Age: 49                                                           

Year Attended: Teacher Scholar 2003

College: University of Wisconsin-Madison         Graduation:  1989

Academic Honors: MA in History

Personal Comments:  I met some of the nicest people who share my interest in the Civil War.  The level of knowledge of presenters was astounding.  That knowledge was shared.  The CWI is ground zero for scholars and students of the American Civil War.

 

Michael Curtis Tow

 

Age: 22                                                           

Year Attended: Teacher Scholar 2003

College: Southern Illinois University                   Graduation:  2003

Academic Honors: BS in History Education

Personal Comments:  By attending the Civil War Institute I developed many friendships with many diverse people, all of whom were drawn to the Civil War.  As a future educator, I was able to learn many teaching strategies to more effectively relate the battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War students.

 

R. Clay Travis

 

Age: 25                                                           

 

Year Attended: Student Scholar 1996

 

High School: Martin Luther King Academic Magnet      Graduation:  1997

College:  George Washington University                                    Graduation:  2000

               Vanderbilt Law School                                                                   2004

Academic Honors: BA History; Magna Cum Laude graduate of George Washington; Moot Court Executive Board Vanderbilt Law School

Work Experience:  Boult Cummings Law Firm in Nashville

Personal Comments:  Quite simply a great experience.

 

Paul Trojak

 

Age: 57                                                           

Year Attended: Teacher Scholar 2003

College: Gettysburg College                              Graduation:  1969

Academic Honors: BA in Political Science

Personal Comments:  Personally-I was able to return to my alma mater and study, take notes and feel like I was back in college.  Professionally-it gave me greater insight into the Battle of Gettysburg-particularly Lee's retreat.

 

Chad B. Updegrove

 

Age: 29                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 1992

High School: Boyertown Area Senior High        Graduation: 1992

College: Grove City College                              Graduation: 1997

               University of Texas at San Antonio                         2003

Academic Honors: BA in Political Science; MA in Education; Distinguished Achievement Award for student teaching History at secondary level; Omicron Xi Fraternity at Grove City College

Work Experience: US Army; Radon Cleaning System Installation; Teaching English as a foreign language in Prague, CZ

Personal Comments:  I recognize the privilege I had in being awarded the only scholarship offered by a public school.  Furthermore, my interest in History has continued.  I am certified to teach History in Texas and I am currently testing to become certified in Pennsylvania for the teaching profession.

 

Alison VanBuskirk

 

Age: 18                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 2002

High School Graduation: 2003

College: University of Delaware                        Graduation: 2007

Academic Honors: BA; Valedictorian of high school class; National Honor Society; national Society of Collegiate Scholars; Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society

Work Experience: Receptionist at Health Company; Sandy Hill Camp Counselor

  

Janet Kraft Vogel

 

Age: 22                                                           

 

Year Attended: Student Scholar 1998

High School: Springfield H.S.               Graduation: 1999

College: Messiah College                                  Graduation: 2003

Academic Honors: BS in History; College Honors Program; graduated fourth in high school class

Work Experience: Lead Bookseller at Barnes and Noble; Library Technical Assistant; Art and Historical Society; Cumberland County (PA) Historical Society

Personal Comments:  A great experience for H.S. students to meet historians in person.

 

John R. Wessner

 

Age: 23                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 1998

High School: Hollidaysburg Area Senior High    Graduation: 1999

College: Penn State University                           Graduation: 2002

Academic Honors:  Major in Elementary Education; Minor in History; Alpha Lambda Delta; Phi Kappa Phi; Golden Key Honor Societies; Pi Lamda Theta National Education Honor Society

Work Experience: Long-term second grade substitute teacher; general substitute elementary teacher; Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 Special Projects Office Assistant; Counselor with Shaver's Creek Environmental Center's Outdoor School Program

Personal Comments:  The amount of information I was able to learn in a single week at the Institute far exceeded what I learned in two years of American History in High School.  Attending the Civil War Institute and having the opportunity to hear the high-quality lectures has further enhanced my knowledge of and love for the Civil War, and is one of my fondest memories of my high school years.

 

Ashley Whitehead

 

Age: 17                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 2003

High School: Phillips Andover Academy            Graduation: 2004

College: College of William and Mary   Graduation: 2008

Academic Honors: 2 Gold Medals in National Latin Exam; 3 departmental Latin Awards; Cum Laude Society

Work Experience: Teaching voice lessons to local children from depressed neighborhoods

Personal Comments:  CWI only reaffirmed my passion for history and my dream to become a Civil War historian.  I learned so many new things, was exposed to different ways of analyzing and presenting history to the public, met some incredibly fascinating people and famous historians and got to spend a week in my favorite town!

  

Leah Meredith Wicks

 

Age: 21                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 2000

High School Graduation: 2001

College: United States Military Academy           Graduation: 2005

Academic Honors: National Honors Society; Dean's and Superintendent's Awards at USMA; Valedictorian during high school

Work Experience: Holy Family Soup Kitchen; Habitat for Humanity

Personal Comments:  My experience at CWI encouraged me to pursue military history as a field of study, which in turn ultimately helped me decide to pursue a career in the Army.  Also, I learned a great deal about the American Civil War which broadened my overall historical knowledge base.

 

Felix Lee Yerace

 

Age: 48                                                           

Year Attended: Teacher Scholar 2000

College: California State College                       Graduation:  1977

Academic Honors: BS and Med.

Personal Comments:  I teach AP United States History.  We don't have much time to stay on any particular issue.  I was able to compress my material on the Civil War to give my students the best information in the limited time we have.

 

Adam G. Zani

 

Age: 24                                                           

Year Attended: Student Scholar 1996

High School:  Tully High School                        Graduation: 1997

College: Union College                                     Graduation: 2001

Academic Honors: BA in History; Phi Gamma Delta; Most All-Around 1997 at Tully High School; Attended Onondaga Community College during high school

Work Experience:  Work study jobs at Union College; Zinch Pruyn & Co paper mill; Peter A. Gunta & Sons in Syracuse; Van Dyne Nursing Home

Personal Comments:  Excellent program-I'm still in contact with many people who I met while attending CWI.  After law school I hope to write history books while practicing law.