Chapman University’s history majors made an impressive showing at the Phi Alpha Theta Southern California Regional History Undergraduate & Graduate Student Conference, held at California State University San Marcos on March 7, 2026. Bringing both passion and scholarly excellence to the event, Chapman students earned first-place paper awards in four out of six categories—an outstanding achievement in a highly competitive field.

Among the honorees were four undergraduate history majors whose research stood out among entries from across Southern California:

Matthew Chin (‘26 History, Political Science) took first place in U.S. 20th Century Political History for his paper, “Changing the Narrative: The Impact of Grassroots Environmental Movements on Public Perception.”

“I had an amazing time at the conference. It was not only a great opportunity to practice my public speaking skills, but it was a great place to both share and hear about people’s research. Each of us has put in long hours on our research, and hearing the passion people have for their topics is truly inspiring.” 

“While it may not be the nation’s most pressing problem at the moment, environmental degradation is still a very real problem for the people exposed to hazardous pollutants. As historians, our job is to tell stories that are often unheard and/or overlooked, and my research is no different. I am honored to win this award, and I hope I have been able to contribute to existing literature that seeks to bring a greater awareness of environmental justice issues in the city of Los Angeles.”

 – Matthew Chin (‘26 History, Political Science)

Tara Dunn (’26 Political Science) earned top honors in 20th Century Global History with “Classifying Atrocity: Revenge, Genocide, and Politicide in Cambodia.”

Julianne Martin (‘26 History, Political Science; ‘27 War, Diplomacy, and Society) won in Modern Europe & Atlantic for her work, “War on Walls: The Role of Political Murals in Northern Ireland.”

“Attending the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference was a really exciting opportunity, as I got to present a portion of my senior history thesis that I have been working on for the last year. The conference allowed me to showcase all the time and dedication I had put into my project, and this was especially meaningful because it was in front of my professor, classmates, friends, and family members. My favorite part of the conference was getting to hear about other students’ research, both from Chapman and other schools in Southern California. They were all passionate about their topic and brought interesting new insights to the field of history.

-Julianne Martin (‘26 History and Political Science)

Abigail Stephens (’26 History, Journalism and CCI Minors) secured first place in U.S. 20th Century Culture with “Engineering the American Gothic: The Fear of Monstrous Technology within American Machine Age (1880–1945) Media.”

Faculty members, including Dr. Jeff Koerber (History) and Dr. Bill Cumiford (History), were present to support Chapman’s strong cohort of 17 senior history majors who presented at the conference. In total, 45 students from universities across the region participated, making the competition especially rigorous.

What makes this accomplishment even more remarkable is that Chapman’s undergraduate students competed against both undergraduate and graduate scholars—and still rose to the top. Their success reflects not only the strength of their individual research but also the vibrant academic community fostered within Chapman’s history program.

(Pictured in header: Chapman University’s history majors at the Phi Alpha Theta Southern California Regional History Undergraduate & Graduate Student Conference, held at California State University San Marcos in early March.)