Students show depth of knowledge at UH Hilo’s 22nd Annual History Research Symposium

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At annual symposium, three graduating seniors presented their research, annual awards were bestowed, and several students were inducted into history honor society.

Will Sherman portrait in lei.
For one of his history research papers, “The Crimes of This Guilty Land: John Brown and Redefining Success at Harpers Ferry,” UH Hilo graduating senior William Sherman received first place in the U.S. History category at the department’s annual research symposium. Sherman recently learned he has been accepted into Howard University’s doctoral program. (File photo: Carson West/University Relations/UH Hilo)

Compiled by Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Department of History held its annual research symposium on May 7, 2026. Three graduating seniors presented their research, annual awards were bestowed, and several students were inducted into the history honor society.

Yucheng Qin casual portrait in his office, bookshelves in background.
Yucheng Qin

“The Spring 2026 History Research Symposium highlighted the depth of the students’ research and analytical rigor,” says Yucheng Qin, professor of history and chair of the department. “The presentations were truly impressive.”

“Watching them share arguments and stories with such passion is a highlight for the department,” he adds. “I believe they have set a high bar for the years to come.”

Co-hosting the event with Prof. Qin were history department colleagues Professor Kerri Inglis, Assistant Professor Line-Noue Kruse, and Assistant Professor Makana Kushi. Micheal Bitter, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, where the history department is housed, attended the event.

Live presentations at the symposium

Three students in lei pose at front of class with white board in background.
Three students presented their research projects live at the 2026 History Research Symposium on May 7. From left, Will Sherman, Mason Selley, and Jaydee Ah Sing. (Photo: Haukea Valdez/History Dept/UH Hilo)
  • Jaydee Ah Sing: “Beacon of Complexity: The Kalaupapa Lighthouse and the Entangled Histories of Displacement, Resistance, and Transformation in Makanalua, Molokai,” which won first place for best Hawaiian History Research Paper.
  • Mason Selley: “Underlying Currents: How Transce11dentalism Quitely Shaped Hawai’i’s Public Schools in the 19th Century”
  • William Sherman: “‘The Cause Regained in Peace’: Abolition as a Continuing Tradition in American History”

Annual Awards

Research Paper Writing Awards

East Asian History

  • 1st place to Madison Johns, “The Myth of Himiko: An Analysis of the Great Sun Queen’s History and Presentation in Popular Culture”

Hawaiian History

  • 1st place to Jaydee Ah Sing, “Beacon of Complexity: The Kalaupapa Lighthouse and the Entangled Histories of Displacement, Resistance, and Transformation in Makanalua, Molokai”
  • Honorable Mention to Kaneao Pascual, “Establishment of the Kapu System for the Hawaiian Civilization”

Pacific History

  • 1st place to Junior Lat, “Inherited Authority: Traditional Land Tenure and External Disruption in the Marshall Islands”
  • Honorable Mention to Antonio Vite, “Connecting Space and People: Kapwa and Vā Perpetuated in the Philippines and Te Moana

U.S. History

  • 1st place to Will Sherman, “The Crimes of This Guilty Land: John Brown and Redefining Success at Harpers Ferry”
  • Honorable Mention to Antonio Vite, “Rendering the Fat Off Bacon’s Rebellion: How Class Conflict Simmered into Racial Classifications in Early Colonial America”

U.S./Indigenous History

  • 1st place to Junior Lat, “Women of the Longhouse: Persistence and Adaptation within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy under Colonial Disruptions”
  • Honorable Mention to Gabrielle Thorpe, “The Indian Removal Act: Impact Through the Trail of Tears and Beyond”

Outstanding Writing Award

  • Jaydee Ah Sing
  • Mason Selley
  • Will Sherman

Gary Okihiro & Marina Henriquez – Community Engagement Award

  • Benney Lat, Jr.
  • Antonio Miguel Vite
  • Haukea Valdez

Phi Alpha Theta: New Member Induction Ceremony & Recognition of PAT Graduates

Students pose at front of lecture hall. Professor is to the left.
At the History Research Symposium on May 8, 2026, from left is Professor of History Yucheng Qin leading applause for new honor society members Nicole Scott, Briana Gaylord, Antonio Miguel Vite, Kameron Kecher, Madison Johns, Sean Estavillo, and Benney Lat, Jr. (Photo: Haukea Valdez/History Dept/UH Hilo)

New Members

  • Kameron Becher
  • Sean Estavillo
  • Briana Gaylord
  • Madison Johns
  • Benney Lat, Jr.
  • Nicole Scott
  • Antonio Miguel Vite
  • Ethan Walters

PAT Graduates

  • Jaydee Ah Sing
  • Mason Selley
  • William Sherman
  • Nicole Scott

Don’t miss the award-winning history students recognized at the College of Arts and Sciences 2026 Convocation on May 8!

See full post.

Group of students with professors pose. Students are in lei and holding their certificates.
At the College of Arts and Sciences 2026 Convocation held on May 8, history students hold their award certificates. From left, Sean Estavillo, Assistant Professor Makana Kushi, Antonio Vite, Orion Behrendt, Benney Lat, Professor Yucheng Qin, Briana Gaylord, Will Sherman, Jaydee Ah Sing, Professor Kerri Inglis, and Haukea Valdez. Click here for full list of award-winners. (File photo: Carson West/University Relations/UH Hilo)

Compiled by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.

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