Grad Student List

Patrick Boyle is originally from Chicago and studied history as an undergrad but eventually completed a research master’s degree in Historical and Maritime Archaeology in Bristol, England. He applied to ECU to gain more fieldwork experience. His research interests focus around 16th-18th century piracy. Outside of school, he enjoys scuba diving, skydiving, and other outdoor activities. He has been working as an indoor skydiving instructor for the past two years while volunteering on archaeology digs in the USA and the UK. He plans on pursuing a PhD in Maritime Archaeology and wants to retire in the Caribbean.

 

Charity Bradley is a first-year student in the MA History program, concentrating in American History. She is from Marion, North Carolina and received her BA in History from Fayetteville State University. Charity is interested in World War II and the role that FDR played, as well as his reforms through the New Deal. Outside of academia she enjoys spending time with her three children and husband, who are her largest inspiration.  She also coaches a local summer swim league and helps others through her position at her local hospital.

Amber Cabading is a current graduate student in the Maritime Studies program at ECU. She graduated from Texas State University with a BS in Anthropology minoring in Geography and Art History. During undergrad, she worked on a handful of terrestrial and underwater sites while volunteering for the Prehistoric Research Center and Center for American Studies. Amber’s last year of undergrad was spent interning for the Marine Archeology Program at the Texas Historical Commission (THC). There, she was exposed to the regulatory aspects of maritime archaeology and the importance of protecting maritime cultural heritage. Currently, her interests involve public archaeology, shipwreck survivor archaeology, and Spanish colonialism. Her goal is to build upon and practice an archaeological methodology that centers on engaging with local communities in every step of an archaeological process from project planning to excavation, conserving, education, monitoring, and managing archaeological sites.

 

Jonah Campbell is in the MA in history program.  He is from Chino Hills, California. Jonah graduated with a BA in History from Stetson University, with a minor in American studies. His research has covered privateers and pirates from the 1600s to the early 1800s, including the use of privateers during the American Revolution. Outside of school he enjoys cooking and gaming.

 

“Jason Catalano is a Maritime Studies graduate student at ECU. He grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania where he earned an A.S. in Criminal Justice from Lackawanna College. Upon graduating, Jason continued his studies at East Stroudsburg University where he earned a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Philosophy. While at East Stroudsburg University, Jason worked as an archivist strengthening his research, writing, and preservation skills.  Additionally, Jason has recently conducted philosophical research in Beijing, China.  He also participated in zoological fieldwork in Costa Rica, where he studied terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Jason’s primary research experience involves Ancient-Early Modern European history and American history. His undergraduate thesis, ‘The Witches of Belvoir Castle,’ focused on Early-Modern European witch trials, religion, medicine, gender roles, and more during the 17th century. Jason hopes to continue gaining interdisciplinary experiences and opportunities while studying at ECU.”

Zachary Dale is a graduate student in the American History Master of Arts program with a focus in LGBTQIA+ history of the American South, specifically Greenville and East Carolina University. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, they earned their Bachelor of Science from ECU in 2017 with a double major in History Education and History. In 2017, they received second place in the Rhem-Schwarzmann Prize for Recognition of Student Research for their paper on the LGBTQIA+ History of ECU. They currently serve as one of the graduate assistants in Joyner Library. Outside of work and school, Zachary loves to spend time with their dog, two cats, and their better half, Drew. Zachary’s research is currently available in ECU’s Heritage Hall.

Emily DiBiase is a student in the Maritime Studies program at ECU. She grew up in York, Pennsylvania and earned a B.A. in Archaeology from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. There, Emily trained in terrestrial archaeology. She dug at the site of Idalion in Cyprus for two seasons, one as a supervisor. She has also worked for the York County Heritage Trust cataloging and organizing documents and for the Charlotte Museum of History doing a study of mid-century modern architecture. Emily is beginning her thesis research, focusing on maritime exchange networks in the Bronze Age Mediterranean.

Lydia Downs is a second-year graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. She obtained her BA in Archaeology and History from UMass Boston. Lydia’s focus is on Native American Maritime Culture. For her thesis, she is collaborating with the Coharie Tribe to tell the story of their newly repatriated dugout canoe. Lydia has worked alongside several tribes in New England, doing archaeological digs with the intention of repatriating the artifacts back to the tribes so that they can tell their own stories. Her thesis work will be along the same lines where it is just a means to facilitate the Coharie people telling their own history. Lydia’s other hobbies and interests include hiking, diving and spending time with friends and family.

Ian Dunshee is a first-year graduate student in the Maritime Studies Program. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, he graduated with a B.S. in Anthropology, a B.A. in French, and a GIS Certificate from the University of Iowa in 2016. Since then, he has worked in different regions to broaden his professional experience. Some of these include helping to preserve iron mining heritage in northern Minnesota with the Conservation Corps and Minnesota DNR, conducting a Fulbright-sponsored prehistoric rock art digitization project in the Lesser Antilles, and most recently working as a GIS specialist and CRM field archaeologist in the southwestern United States. Ian hopes to continue his research in Caribbean archaeology and digital archaeological methods development, ultimately to pursue a doctorate degree and a career in academic research and heritage management.

Dominic Fargnoli is a first year graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. Dominic is from Southern New Jersey where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology specializing in Archaeology, with a minor in GIS. Dominic worked throughout the past few years as a Land Surveyor specializing in Topographical and Property surveys, as well as working as a full time Scuba-Diver for a golf ball retrieval company, spanning the East Coast going to different golf courses to dive their quarries and lakes. Through these positions, he gained many skills and knowledge that will benefit his journey through the Maritime Studies program, and following wherein he hopes to work in the field following his graduation in CRM work. For the past few years, Dominic has set his hopes on this career path and finally can begin to express his dedication and practical abilities through this program, which will lead to great opportunities in the future.

 

Matthew Howell an eastern North Carolina native from Wilmington, is a first-year graduate student at East Carolina University (ECU), where he focuses on American history. He is married with three children and works as the Director of Operations for a large e-commerce firm in Wilmington, a position he has held for the last 12 years.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Fayetteville State University, where he graduated summa cum laude. He spent several years performing interpretive work at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where he met his wife. Now in his mid-40s, Matthew has returned to academia to pursue a master’s degree, aiming to re-enter the realm of public history.  His academic interests lie in colonial and Civil War history, particularly within North Carolina.

Active in the local history community, Matthew is an administrator of the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table, where his wife, a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), serves as president. His love for history is matched by his passion for nature and music. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family, reading and writing history, as well as playing his drums and his banjo.

 

Brylee Huber is a first-year student in the Maritime Studies program. She grew up near Kansas City and graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas. While working for a terrestrial field school, she helped to uncover a historic pottery kiln site. She has spent the last year splitting her time between working in a paleoethnobotany lab and cataloging artifacts at the Arkansas Archaeological Survey. Her research interests include maritime trade history, piracy, and the ethnobotanical effects of both piracy and commerce. When at home, she is hiking, writing, or playing video games.

 

Rebecca Kelley is a graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. After a bit of a circuitous route through college, including a three-year stint as an International Studies major and a detour through paramedic school, she most recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History from University of North Carolina at Asheville. During her time at UNCA she gained an appreciation for multi-perspective historical narratives, as well as public and digital history through working as an undergraduate research fellow with the 828 Project’s African American Churches and Cemeteries Initiative. Her undergraduate thesis work inspired her research interests in historical climatology, meteorology, and their relevance to the maritime world. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her horses and cat, reading, gardening, knitting, and being outdoors.

 

Michael Lee is a graduate student in the Maritime Studies program.  A native of California, he graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in History and a minor in English Literature.  He received his Juris Doctor from UCLA’s School of Law in 2005 and, after fifteen years as a practicing attorney, decided to pursue his lifelong interest in archaeology.  He has volunteered at archaeological digs at Grand St. Bernard in Switzerland, Tel Megiddo in Israel, and Vindolanda Roman Fort in Great Britain.  Prior to enrolling at ECU he attended the Balkan Heritage Foundation’s underwater field school in Nessebar, Bulgaria.  His interests include the archaeology of the Mediterranean, as well as the maritime histories of pre-Colonial America and the United States Civil War.  In addition to being trained as a field excavator, he hopes to prepare a comprehensive survey of laws and regulations governing maritime cultural property in the United States and contribute to a legal field guide for future practitioners.

Matthew Lowe is a graduate student in the Maritime Studies program. Originally from Dallas, Texas he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.A in History with a minor in Anthropology. He has taken part in terrestrial archaeological digs at St. Catherine’s island Georgia, and Cosa, Italy. Both sites were in close proximity to water and the artifacts lost to river erosion as well as a submerged port area helped spur his interest in maritime archaeology. His areas of interest include World War II in the pacific, Roman Classical Antiquity, and the Minoan Civilization.

 

Keegan Maxheimer is a first-year student in the Maritime Studies program.  He was born and raised in Central Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree in Maritime Studies at the University of West Florida. He has done excavations of the 16th-century failed Spanish settlement of Don Tristan de Luna in Pensacola, Florida. He has also dived on different shipwrecks scattered around the area. His academic interests include 16th-18th century piracy, the British Empire and colonization, as well as the American Civil War and Irish history. Outside of school, Keegan enjoys reading, watching movies, and exploring anywhere he can.

Alex Morrow is a current third year graduate student in the Program in Maritime Studies. Originally from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Villanova University with a BA in History in the fall of 2019. He spent two years writing technical manuals for unmanned air systems with the Department of the Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) before deciding to come to ECU with the goal of pursuing a career with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). In addition to two field schools in Antigua and the Florida Keys, Alex has participated in DPAA missions to Saipan, Australia, and Portugal while at ECU. Also, he was selected as a Crew Chief for ECU’s summer 2024 field school to Edenton/Brunswick Town. Having had no experience with archaeology prior to attending ECU, he has come to appreciate how much the archaeological world has offer, but his primary research interest is WWII and aviation archaeology.

 

Liam O’Brien is an incoming student in the Maritime Studies program from Pensacola, Florida. He comes from a US Navy family, with members currently serving in both sea and air. This service inspired his love for Maritime history. Liam earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from Florida State University. Areas of specialty and interest for Liam are Colonial History, (i.e. “The New World,” its colonies and naval presence, Seven Years War, etc.), as well as 19th– 20th century US naval history. His interests outside history are reading, sailing, and cooking.

 

James Philips is a student in the MA in History program concentrating in European History. His eclectic historical interests range from the late Roman Republic through the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. A native of eastern North Carolina, he completed his BS in Computer Science and BA in Classical Civilizations from ECU in 2019. His thesis research is focused on the Roman historian Sallust and the affinities of his Bellum Catilinae and Bellum Jugurthinum with the Roman moral tradition.

 

Alexandria Price is a student in the MA in History program, focusing on American history. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts in History from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is a military brat who considers the whole United States her home. Her research focus is the military community.   For over a year she has been volunteering at the Coastal Museum of the Marines in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Outside of academia Alexandria likes to travel, and make scrapbooks as well as explore castles, historic sites, and museums.

Jonathan Rebmann is a first-year Graduate student in East Carolina University’s MA in American History program. He previously graduated from ECU with a BS in Political Science and History. He discovered his interest in history while attending classes at Pitt Community College, finding support from several teachers there to pursue the discipline. At the moment, he has considerable interest in political economy, ideologies such as Liberalism and Communism, and a budding fascination with American history.

 

Ian Rickert is a first-year student in the Maritime Studies program, who is originally from Villa Park, IL.  He graduated with a BS in Archaeology, with a minor in history and photography from the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse in 2024. He became interested in maritime archeology from a young age, learning about the discovery of the Titanic and its history. Since then, he has had a great interest in archaeology and maritime archaeology. Some research interests include using photogrammetry to observe the sites in situ, shipwreck archaeology, and the conservation of artifacts. Some of my other hobbies are reading, exploring, photography, and spending time with family and friends.

Darby Robbins is a first-year student in the Maritime Studies program. Born and raised in eastern North Carolina, she got her undergraduate degree at Appalachian State University in Anthropology, concentrating in Archaeology, with a minor in History. Darby’s research interests include piracy during the Age of Sail and its cultural impact on maritime communities. Outside of academia, she enjoys reading, singing, and spending time with her cat, Arya.

 

Melanie Simmons is a first-year graduate student for the Maritime Studies program at ECU. She was raised in Kansas and in the Texas Hill Country. Melanie graduated from the University of North Texas with a B.A in History with a focus on European history and a B.A in Anthropology with focuses on Cultural Anthropology and Social Justice. A few of her research interests include naval warfare during WWII, the impacts of cultural contact through ships around the world, and seafaring societies of the past and present. In her time outside of academia and work, Melanie likes to hike and explore nearby museums and bookstores.

Patrick Smith is a student in the Maritime Studies Program. Patrick was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, but has lived in Cameron, NC for many years. He graduated cum laude from Liberty University with a BS in Criminal Justice: Criminal Psychology Cognate, with a minor in Strategic Intelligence. He became interested in maritime archaeology at a young age when the first children’s books on the discovery of the Titanic were published. Patrick became encouraged to apply for East Carolina University’s Maritime Studies Program after being reintroduced to scuba diving through Task Force Dagger, a nonprofit organization that supports wounded, ill or injured military special operations members and their families. His primary interests are the WWI, WWII eras and the Age of Sail.

Stephanie Sterling (she/her/hers) is a graduate student at East Carolina University in the Program for Maritime Studies. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, she has spent the past few years calling Florida, Arizona and Nevada home while working for the National Park Service. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a B.A in Art History and a minor in Archaeology. While at UNL, several experiences influenced her decision to study maritime archaeology: a one-credit SCUBA class taken on a whim, field work at Antiochia ad Craǧum in Turkey, and photogrammetric work at the Maya Site of Copan UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sterling’s thesis attempts to delineate physical and cognitive boundaries associated with North Carolina rice plantations along the Brunswick River and investigate how life within the waterways disrupted the power structures among planters and enslaved Africans by creating liminal spaces of freedom. While at ECU, Stephanie hopes to acquire expertise in mapping, remote sensing and innovative imaging methods. And strives to work collaboratively and inclusively with diverse communities and stakeholders within her research.

Mackenzie Tabeling is a student in the maritime studies program. She received her BA in Anthropology with minors in history and religion from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. During undergraduate, Mackenzie volunteered at a Camp Nelson, a Civil War Heritage park, as a terrestrial archaeologist. In addition, she contributed to two university-funded maritime archaeology projects in El Salvador and the Florida Keys, testing both sonar capabilities and under-water imaging. Mackenzie’s research interests include the colonial Americas and the Caribbean with a focus in Public Archaeology.

Dayan Weller grew up in the Monterey Bay area, where he developed an interest in the ocean and maritime history at an early age. He attended Cabrillo College, where he decided to pursue archaeology as a career and eventually enrolled in the 2014 field school on Santa Rosa Island & in Nipomo, CA and began working in CRM shortly after. He transferred to UC Santa Cruz where he graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology in 2018, and continued to work on CRM projects until moving to Greenville, NC to begin the Maritime Studies graduate program at ECU. His primary research interest is commercial whaling, and ultimately he hopes to work on the history of the shore whaling industry in central California.

 

Kelly Welton (Kel) is originally from Evergreen, Colorado. She received a B.S. in Biochemistry, with a minor in Biological Anthropology, followed by an M.S. in Toxicology from Colorado State University in 2017 and 2019, respectively. She then spent the next several years working as a Forensic Chemist and Crime Scene Investigator at the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory. A longtime student of history and an avid scuba diver, Kel decided to change careers and pursue maritime archaeology. Her research interests include the conservation and preservation of artefacts retrieved from underwater sites, conflict archaeology, and the Age of Sail in the Pacific. In her free time, Kel enjoys being outdoors, pursuing amateur astronomy, and practicing tai chi.

Lindsay Wentzel is a graduate assistant in the Maritime Studies program at ECU. Originally from Yorktown, Virginia, she graduated from Virginia Tech in 2018 with dual B.S. degrees in Wildlife Conservation and Marine Fisheries Conservation. After a pivotal internship experience combining sea snail biology and marine history through the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, she started pursuing maritime history and archaeology as a career. As a newcomer, she is excited to apply her unique background and research experience to the field. Currently, her broader interests include historic fisheries and marine resource extraction in North Carolina, Latin America, and the Caribbean, maritime industrial landscapes, and underwater cave archaeology/conservation. An avid diver and waterman, Lindsay is looking forward to spending the next few years near the coast with her dog, Goose.

Ethan Whiten is originally from Taylors, SC. He is a first-year graduate student in the Maritime Studies program.  Ethan graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a BA in History and a Certificate in Applied Archaeology. He has worked on the Laurel Hill Plantation site in Murrells’s Inlet, SC along with various shipwrecks in Charleston, SC. He has also accompanied James D. Spirek, South Carolinas State Underwater Archaeologists on a magnetometer survey of the “De Ayllon Wreck” off the coast of Georgetown, SC.  His current research interests are shipwrecks from the 19th-20th centuries, as well as the preservation of shipwrecks and cultural heritage sites. Ethan hopes to start his own contracting business to ensure that historical wrecks and cultural heritage sites are not damaged during construction or work taking place near those locations.

 

Hannah Woodall is a first-year graduate student in the MA program in history, and her concentration is European history.  Born in Fort Worth, Texas, raised in Greenville, NC, Hannah got her Bachelor of Arts in History from Meredith College, minoring in Political Science and International Studies.  While at Meredith, she also had the opportunity to study abroad in Sansepolcro, Italy.  This experience furthered her love for Italian culture, cuisine, and history.  Her historical interests include ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance.  Hannah works as a deputy clerk of court in the Pitt County Courthouse in the Civil Department.  In her free time, she enjoys watching Formula 1, exploring museums, and being a cat mom to her two cats, Milo and Rainy.

Andrea Yoxsimer (Andi) is a third year Maritime Studies graduate student. Her research focuses on the use of requisitioned merchant class vessels within the Imperial Japanese Navy throughout WWII. She is originally from Reno, NV and she received her Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Nevada Reno. She is a proud ‘mom’ to her cat Peppa and an embarrassingly large houseplant collection. This program has been instrumental in teaching her both the importance of maritime archeology for the appreciation of history, as well as the practical skills of the discipline to work successfully in the field.