Presented to the graduate history student who submits the best paper during the previous calendar year.
Melanie recently completed her graduate studies at George Mason, earning her master’s degree in applied history in December 2021. She previously graduated from Mason in 2016 with a BA in history. A lifelong resident of Virginia, she currently lives in Fairfax County. She hopes to soon transition her career to the public history field and plans to enroll in a museum studies program this fall. Her research interests include social, cultural, and political history, with a recent focus on labor regulation and occupational safety and health practices in early twentieth-century America.