Attending the 2024 Western History Association Conference was both a fun and productive experience for me thanks to the WHA Graduate Student Prize! It was my first time staying in a room in the hotel hosting the conference, and I appreciated the easier access it gave me for attending panels and events. Additionally, I was able to allow a fellow graduate student from the University of Oklahoma to use my complimentary room as well. The service and hospitality of the hotel staff was also top notch. Overall, I felt grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy the conference and not have to worry about lodging or transportation. It made this conference one of the best I have ever attended!

The University of Oklahoma always brings dozens of graduate students and faculty to the WHA conference, and I was glad I could attend many of their panels and give my support! Some of the panels I attended included “Gender and the Struggle for Indigenous Sovereignty,” “Black Health in the West,” “Identity and Activism: Western Women Campaigning for Suffrage and Against War,” “Beyond the West: Thinking about the American West Transnationally,” and “No Constitutional Right to Abortion: Reproductive Justice, Teaching, and Research after Dobbs.”

It was nothing short of amazing to see the work that my fellow graduate students were accomplishing! For example, Tom Kahle presented a paper based on interviews he had personally conducted with Native American leader Madonna Thunder Hawk, Ben Folger discussed a little-known African American doctor in Oklahoma during the late 1800s, and Alejandra Herrera explained how the Mexican American cultural practice of “lowriders” had been adopted by people from all across the world, from Saudia Arabia to Japan. My advisor, Jennifer Holland, presented on the timely issue of abortion in our modern American society, and it felt both cathartic and productive to talk about issues and questions associated with this topic.

I also attended a roundtable of History Graduate Student Associations. It was a small one, but it gave everyone the opportunity to share their experiences with creating and maintaining organizations for the academic and social needs of graduate students. I enjoyed reminiscing on past events and discussing potential goals and activities for the History Graduate Student Association at the University of Oklahoma.

It was also a proud moment for me to receive my award at the ceremony, and many of my fellow University of Oklahoma representatives were there to support me and offer their congratulations. I appreciated that the WHA takes the time to recognize people for their accomplishments in a short yet meaningful way.

Besides attending panels, I also participated in the Welcoming Reception at the World War I Museum and Memorial and the Graduate Student Reception at the Westin. At both events, I not only enjoyed delicious snacks and free drinks, but I also caught up with friends and networked with various historians. Funnily enough, riding the free shuttle from the hotel to the reception at the World War I museum gave me an opportunity to speak to people sitting near me. For example, I spoke to Dr Tyina Steptoe, a professor at the University of Arizona, and talked to her about my research on Tucson’s Chinatown.

Additionally, since the University of Oklahoma had so many members at the conference, we also held our own event at a bar in the hotel. Since I am currently working on my dissertation, there were many graduate students and faculty I was able to reconnect with and talk about how the conference was going and how their research and work was developing.

During the WHA, I presented on a panel entitled “Finding Belonging, Navigating Space: Migration, Legislation, and Community Creation in the West, 1970s-2000s.” I presented a paper on Oklahoma City’s Asian District, which is a significant part of my planned work for my dissertation. I explained the history of the Asian District as a neighborhood mostly for refugees from Vietnam, but then over time, it developed into a space for all Asian American Oklahomans. Through this panel, I was able to share my ideas with audience members and get feedback on my arguments and ideas for my work.  

I also partook in some of the best food Kansas City had to offer, including some of the best barbeque I’ve ever had! The burnt ends at Joe’s BBQ were especially good. My friends and I also had Korean BBQ, which had a large selection of meats, including my favorite: beef belly. My friend is originally from Missouri, so it was great visiting some of his old favorite places.

On our last day, we visited the World War I memorial and museum, which was both educational and moving. The artifacts and displays were quite impressive, and it was definitely a unique experience. I especially appreciated the care the museum curators took to showcase what experiences were like for soldiers.

I am very appreciative of the opportunities and experience the WHA Graduate Student Prize gave me. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone in the WHA staff who made it possible. I look forward to my free year of WHA membership!