ECU Department of History

10/14/2026

Graduate Student Spotlight: Anya Duffy

We’re back again to highlight yet another accomplished student. Meet Anya Duffy, a second-year graduate student in ECU’s History program!

Anya earned her undergraduate degree from ECU in 2026, double majoring in History and Political Science with a pre-law concentration. As one of the M.A. History program’s first accelerated students, she completed her first year of graduate coursework while finishing her senior year of undergraduate studies!

Anya’s academic interests include American industrial and immigrant labor history, a passion inspired by Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. She also has a strong interest in constitutional history and legal processes and hopes to attend law school after completing her master’s degree.

Originally from Ripon, Wisconsin, Anya came to ECU as a Brinkley-Lane Scholar, bringing her passion for history, politics, and law to the university community.

We’re excited to highlight Anya and the diverse accomplishments of our graduate students at ECU History!

10/07/2026

Graduate Student Spotlight: Christos Darras

Meet Christos Darras, a second-year graduate student in ECU’s Maritime Studies program!

A Florida native, Christos earned his B.A. in History & Anthropology from Florida Atlantic University in 2025, along with a minor in Museums, Archives, & Public History, and a certification in ArcGIS.

At ECU, Christos’s thesis research focuses on Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, a significant colonial and Civil War-era archaeological site in southeastern North Carolina. He also serves as President of the Maritime Studies Association, contributing to the academic and professional community of ECU’s Maritime Studies program.

Christos also brings professional experience in museum-level art handling to ECU. He currently serves as the lead art handler for the Wellington B. Gray Gallery in ECU’s Jenkins Fine Arts Center, putting his skills in museum and collections work into practice.

We’re excited to highlight Christos and the diverse experiences and interests our graduate students bring to ECU History!

09/30/2026

Graduate Student Spotlight: Alissa Thompson

Meet Alissa Thompson, a graduate student in ECU’s History program!

Alissa received her Bachelor of Arts in History from East Carolina University in May 2026 and is currently pursuing dual graduate degrees: a Master of Arts in History with a concentration in Public History and a Master of Library Science with a concentration in Archives and Cultural Heritage Informatics. Her professional interests include archives management, museum curation, and public engagement with history. In addition to working full time as a nonprofit grant writer, she serves as a graduate assistant in ECU’s University History and Records Department. Alissa is the 2026-2027 president of the Lambda Eta chapter of Phi Alpha Theta.

We’re proud to highlight Alissa and the many ways our graduate students are engaging with history both inside and outside the classroom!

09/06/2026

Congratulations to M.A. History student Jennifer Larsen, who completed a summer 2026 Public History internship under Patrick Cash in the Joyner Library Manuscripts Division of Special Collections!

You can read more about what an ECU Manuscript Collection internship is like at https://library.ecu.edu/specialcollections/2026/08/11/13474/

09/05/2026

09/03/2026

Welcome to the Academic Year 2026-27! From the Department of History!

08/19/2026

https://news.ecu.edu/2026/08/19/student-anja-schwieterman/

Anja Schwieterman turns a lifelong fascination with the ocean into hands-on archaeological experience through ECU’s maritime studies program.