2026-27 Sanders Scholars
The History Department congratulates the 2026-27 cohort of Sanders Scholars!
We are so grateful to Ian Sanders ('91) for endowing the Sanders Scholars Program. Professor Robin Bates will lead the program for the third time this fall. We are thrilled to welcome 14 undergraduate students who will gather around the table in the Leopold Room, Harris Hall 108 (for both fall and winter quarters) to engage with big questions, meet major figures in the field, and collaborate with fellow students.
Matías Castañeda
My name is Matías Castañeda, and I am a rising senior majoring in Journalism and International Studies. As someone that is passionate about history and its inner workings, I am especially eager to work with fellow researchers and historians in hopes of deepening my understanding of the craft. Coupled with the seminar’s focus on research, I hope to explore the big questions posed throughout the two quarters by engaging in collaborative and historical analyses. Most importantly, I look forward to applying what I learn to my other majors and any future endeavors I embark on.
Andrew Carter
My name is Andrew Carter and I am a rising sophomore from Boston studying History. I am particularly interested in being able to delve deeper into an original research project and collaborate with other students as part of the Sanders Seminar program. I am also excited to be able to talk with leading historians and learn more about the nuances of their research and the conclusions they come to. I look forward to engaging with more difficult questions over a longer period of time than a traditional class allows. Outside of school, I love to travel, hike, and listen to music.
Yali Koch
My name is Yali Koch, and I’m a rising senior studying International Studies and Cognitive Science. I am incredibly passionate about how historical forces have shaped technology and learning more about how different countries have developed leadership in industry. These interests have led me to pursue a career in early-stage investment. I hope to continue my original research with the support of the amazing historians and professors at Northwestern through the Sanders Seminar. Outside of class, I enjoy playing soccer, exploring the food scene in Chicago, and watching basketball.
Alex Lev
I am Alex Lev, a rising sophomore from Boston, MA pursuing a major in history with a concentration in Modern European history. I am also interested in obtaining an Integrated Marketing Communication certificate as I believe that much of our understanding of history has been influenced by the way it has been presented to us. As a Sanders Scholar, I hope to engage in meaningful conversations with my classmates and teachers about how we as a society can stop history from repeating itself. Outside of the classroom, I love to watch and play sports like skiing and soccer, bake, and go on adventures with my friends and family.
Payton Lowenthal-Wojcik
My name is Payton Lowenthal-Wojcik and I'm a rising junior majoring in English. I love traveling to new places, reading, and watching movies/tv. I'm an avid student! I love to learn from everywhere and everyone. I plan on being an English teacher after college but love history. Specifically, I've always been intrigued by ancient history around the Mediterranean (Greece, Egypt, Rome, Persia, Israel, etc.). As a Sanders Scholar, I look forward to meeting other curious people and learning how to facilitate conducive debate/discussion.
Ayla Mushtaq
My name is Ayla Mushtaq, and I’m a class of 2029 student studying History and Philosophy, with interests in Spanish and Comparative Literary Studies. In the Sanders Seminar, I'm looking forward to learning from my peers and from experts in the field to better understand what it means to be a historian. I would love to explore how translation and national literary traditions have shaped historical narratives, particularly how they have elevated or erased marginalized voices. I’m interested in early modern European history and Latin American history. Outside of class, I’m part of the UPEP Fundraising Committee and the Residential Program in Enlightened Disagreement. I like reading, going to concerts, spending time outside, getting active, and most of all, having good conversations!
Bohan Pan
My name is Bohan Pan, and I am a rising sophomore studying Social Policy and History. I am particularly interested in looking at stories of resistance--how they move across time, how they are told, how they can help us make sense of the current political moment. As a Sanders Scholar, I look forward to discussing the largest debates that define the field of history with Professor Bates, historians, and peers who are equally curious about these questions. Outside of class, I am a part of the mock trial team, NPEP, and a volunteer for Chicago Debates. When I have free time, I enjoy amateur oil painting and teaching my two cats to play fetch.
Natalie Roots-Nowakowski
My name is Natalie Roots-Nowakowski, and I’m a senior studying Political Science and History with a minor in African Studies. In the Sanders Program, I look forward to engaging in thoughtful and constructive discourse with my peers on the questions that shape the study of history. I am excited to strengthen my critical thinking skills and apply them to an independent research project. I hope to center my study on African politics, using a historical lens to better understand the continent today. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy reading, playing board games, and coaching debate.
Jenice Ryoo
My name is Jenice Ryoo, and I’m a first-year student interested in studying Economics and History. I’ve developed a strong passion for history through the way it allows me to fully immerse myself in different time periods—exploring how people thought, acted, and made decisions. Analyzing these patterns has been especially meaningful to me in History 250-2 and 264. Through the Sanders Scholars Program, I hope to deepen my understanding of history alongside peers who share this passion, while continuing to grow as a thinker and learner.
Morgan Sanders
My name is Morgan and I am a member of the class of 2027 majoring in Learning and Organizational Change with minors in Psychology and General Music. As someone who has always been fascinated with history but has rarely been able to study it, I am excited to deepen my understanding of what goes into becoming an expert on a topic, which stories and perspectives get told, and to learn from my peers. Outside of the classroom I volunteer with Books & Breakfast as a Lincoln Elementary tutor and am a member of Northwestern Tri Delta. In my free time I love to read, listen to almost any genre of music, and walk to destinations that are easier to drive to.
Darryl Sinambela
My name is Darryl Sinambela! I’m a third-year student from Jakarta, Indonesia studying Economics and History. I love to travel (primarily to eat and hike), take film photographs, and run outside (when the weather is nice). Writing has followed me throughout my life – from creating my own Greek mythologies in primary school to writing research papers for my history classes today or even writing a birthday card for my mom. With the Sanders Scholars program, I hope to hone my writing skills by collaborating with classmates and learning directly from history scholars about their craft. I can’t wait to see how these seminars not only change my perspective on certain topics but also on writing.
Sean Anthony Stenger
My name is Sean Stenger, and I am a first-year planning to major in History and Asian Languages and Cultures. I am from Central Illinois, and my main area of interest is Japan, particularly the “crisis of sociality” that emerged alongside the economic collapse of the early ‘90s as well as Shintoism. I am excited to learn more about the process of historical research and to engage in wide-ranging academic discussion with fellow students. I hope to broaden my areas of historical knowledge through meeting new people. Outside of class, I am a trumpet player, both for Philharmonia here at NU and my local municipal band, and a fan of JRPGs and trading card games. I am also involved with NU’s chapter of the Platypus Affiliated Society, where we aim to critically analyze the history of the Marxist Left.
Meiling Sun
I’m Meiling, and I’m a first-year student majoring in Social Policy and History. My passion for the study of history stems from my desire to understand the human condition at the deepest and most comprehensive level possible, and the Sanders Seminar is the perfect opportunity to continue pursuing this curiosity. I’m incredibly excited to learn more about historiographic approaches by delving into complex questions about agency, contingency, and narrative—all while collaborating with and learning from a community of equally passionate historians. In doing so, I hope to gain a more nuanced understanding of how we interpret the past, connect it to the present, and utilize it to discern the truth.
Jacob Christopher Witte
My name is Jacob Witte, and I am from Champaign Illinois. I am a second-year student majoring in global history and political science. I intend to go to law school following my graduation from Northwestern. Through my experiences in political science and history courses, I have developed an interest in the history of international relations, foreign policy, and the history of empires. Through the Sanders Scholars program I hope to develop valuable research skills. My ultimate goal is to transform my historical curiosity into a concise and detailed research paper, as well as foster a greater understanding of our world and the historical events that have set things in motion.
Michelle Zhou
My name is Michelle Zhou, and I am a third-year student studying Political Science and History. I am excited about the Sanders Seminar because it gives me the chance to spend more time thinking and developing all of the historical questions that I have found compelling. Across the two quarters, I hope to explore my research interests in how technology shapes historical and political developments, especially during periods of crisis or transition. I am particularly interested in how structural forces and individual agency interact, and the question of, to what extent technologies constrain or expand political power. Focusing on potential themes such as the emergence of political ideologies and shifts in global economic systems, I want to better understand why particular conditions produce the historical outcomes they do.