About

Jessica Markey, from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, graduated in December of 2017 with a degree in history and American Indian studies. Since her freshman year, Jessica was the hawk assistant for the American Indian Studies program and a member of Alpha Pi Omega Sorority Inc. She is also a member of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society and Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. Jessica also worked for the Office of Community and Civic Engagement, where she helped coordinate service-learning opportunities on campus. Jessica presented her work on service-learning at the National Impact Conference and also at the Southeast American Indian Studies Conference.

Jessica said the most rewarding aspect of being an honors student was having the opportunity to take challenging courses, and having access to the resources only honors students have access to. Outside of school, Jessica recently interned at Pennsbury Manor State Park and conducted historical research on the relationship between the Lenape, or Delaware, Indians and William Penn in order to improve interpretation at the site. For her honors thesis, Jessica researched a man named Moses Tatamy, an influential Lenape diplomat and early advocate for Indigenous rights in Pennsylvania.

After graduation, Jessica plans to attend graduate school in public history. She wants to pursue a career where she can give a voice to those underrepresented in history. She advises honors students to take advantage of the opportunities given to them and to get involved on campus and in the community. Jessica’s greatest memory at UNCP is having the opportunity to meet new people and travel to a number of places including Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lawrence, Kansas; St. Louis, Missouri, Havana, Cuba; and Anchorage Alaska.

Senior Project

Thesis: The Life and Legacy of Moses Tunda Tatamy, c.1695 - c.1760: An Indigenous Response to Colonialism in Eighteenth Century Pennsylvania

Faculty Mentor: Jane Haladay