Elizabeth Elliott is the AHA’s new program assistant. Elizabeth graduated from Gettysburg College in 2013 with a BA in history and minors in writing and Civil War era studies. Her senior thesis analyzed the toponymical history of a coastal town in medieval Sicily. She also spent an academic semester in Bath, England, where she studied advanced poetry. Her poems are often centered on historical subjects. One of her favorite pieces to write was a metered poem about the ill-fated 1924 Mount Everest climbing expedition.

Before coming to the AHA, Elizabeth completed internships at the Maryland Historical Society and Mount Clare Museum House in Baltimore. She was also selected as a 2013 Gilder Lehrman History Scholar, awarded to top graduating college seniors committed to the study of American history. She was nominated on the basis of a seminar paper about the controversial and understudied field of Confederate poetry.

In her position at the AHA, Elizabeth provides support for the program and executive staff, including assistance with projects, prizes and fellowships, committees, and ongoing operational work. She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her boyfriend Josh, who is also a historian.

Jacob Ingram and Elizabeth Elliott

Jacob Ingram, the new editorial assistant, arrived at the AHA having just graduated from California State University, Long Beach, in May 2014 with a BA in history and minors in American studies, anthropology, and geography.

While at “The Beach,” Jacob worked as the production manager for California State University’s student-access radio station, KBeach, training volunteer radio hosts and producers. Jacob also hosted a show of his own, highlighting ska, punk, and reggae genres, for nearly three years. He also worked as a supplemental instructor, leading small-group seminars for at-risk freshmen in history, anthropology, and geography courses.

His continued research interests involve the history of space exploration. His senior thesis centered on the role of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the environmental history of southern California. Jacob also makes a point of finding unconventional histories to work on; he has submitted proposals to professors for a project on the cultural history of dinosaurs and for an examination of how important holidays were to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Born and raised in southern California, the transplant is having trouble coping with the idea of seasons, as well as finding an up-to-par burrito. Despite these troubles, Jacob is excited to learn about what DC has to offer, as both a city and a home.