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History Students Receive Prestigious Awards from Bass Faculty

Ferris Le BA’25 holds his diploma with pride at the May 2025 commencement.

Ferris Le BA’25, along with other recent history graduates, was honored with the Frank R. Rossiter Book Award.

By Olivia Speicher

This year, four candidates were chosen within the Bass School’s history and history of ideas programs to be honored with the Frank R. Rossiter Book Award. The accolade was established by Genice A.G. Rabe and Stephen G. Rabe in honor of Professor Frank Rossiter, who came to UT Dallas in 1975. A specialist in American intellectual and cultural history, Rossiter served as UTD faculty for decades, helping to establish the most foundational aspects of the Bass School’s curriculum. 

The award includes a cash prize and, most importantly, a book chosen by a faculty member who has worked closely with each student and understands their nuanced historical or philosophical interests.Winners of the 2025 award include Alirageh Barreh MA’24, Preston Hollowell BA’25, Daniel Dunham PhD’24, and Ferris Le BA’25. 

Dr. Nils Roemer (left), dean of the Bass School, stands with recent PhD candidate Dr. Daniel Dunham PhD’24 (right).

Barreh, who earned his master’s in history of ideas this past December, transferred to UT Dallas from UT Austin in 2020. He cited his interest in the history of ideas program as the predominant factor in his decision.“The syncretic approach was really interesting, and there wasn’t much else like it — in the state, at the very least. It was really attractive,” Barreh explained. 

Barreh plans to become a professor of history and will begin pursuing a doctorate degree at Georgetown University in fall 2025. “I think we have at the Bass School, particularly in history and philosophy, really stellar faculty,” said Barreh. The graduate student also wanted to extend his gratitude to the professors who had been instrumental in his education and those who nominated him for the award — including Dr. Anne Gray Fischer. 

“The first history professor I ever had when I came to do my BA was Dr. Fischer,” Barreh recounted. “She’s been, both as a scholar and as a mentor of students, excellent.” Barreh also mentioned Dr. Michael Wilson, Dr. Charles Bambach, Dr. Daniel Wickberg, Dr. Natalie Ring, and Dr. Humberto González-Núñez, who all played a critical role in his academic and personal success. 

Alirageh Barreh MA’24 (right) accepts his degree from Dr. Nils Roemer (left).

The book Barreh was given is titled The Names of the Python: Belonging in East Africa by David L. Schoenbrun — an exploration of the intricate shared knowledge and cultural practices of East African peoples from 900 to 1930. 

Another winner this year was undergraduate student Preston Hollowell, who finished his BA in history this past spring — walking across the stage in May. Hollowell enrolled in the Bass School in fall 2022 and has been completing his degree while working a part-time job. 

“It [winning the award] feels very validating,” Hollowell explained. “You know, I think for anybody who gets really specialized in a field that they care a lot about, you have a certain amount of imposter syndrome, and so being recognized — particularly by people that are quite literally professionals — having them basically cast their vote of confidence for you does mean a lot to me.” 

The recent grad also expressed appreciation for the faculty members who guided him during his undergraduate studies, especially Dr. Daniel Wickberg. “He’s been very formative in my approach to history. And for a long time, I’ve had an interest in intellectual history,” said Hollowell. “But before I took any of his classes, for me, it was kind of like a pipe dream. Then, after really getting into the weeds of it and working with him, I was like, no, actually, I have an aptitude for this.” 

Ferris Le, who recently graduated with his BA in history and minor in Asian studies, was the second undergraduate student to receive the Frank R. Rossiter Book Award this year. Le has been remarkably involved in the history program throughout his time at the Bass School — having also received the Gavin R. G. Hambly Endowed Scholarship in 2024. Additionally, Le was selected to travel with other undergraduate history students to the American Historical Association’s convention held this January in New York City. 

Ferris Le BA’25 sits on the staircase in the ATC Lobby.

“I was sitting in Dr. Wilson’s office, and he gave me the book and told me how many faculty members vouched for me and nominated me for this award. I could not pull back my tears because I do love the faculty of UTD so much,” Le recounted. Now that he has finished his undergraduate degree, Le plans to pursue a master’s in library sciences at the University of North Texas. 

The book Le received was Constellating Home: Trans and Queer Asian American Rhetorics by V. Jo Hsu, a collection of three archives from trans and queer Asian American (QTAPI) rhetoric that examines how race, migration, gender, and disability intertwine. It was a fitting choice for Le, whose minor is in Asian studies and who also has a special interest in gender studies. The selection was made by Dr. Anne Gray Fischer, who also served as one of the readers for Le’s capstone research, along with Dr. Daniel Wickberg. 

Le also wanted to thank Dr. Rosemary Admiral, Dr. Jonathan Y. Tsou, Dr. En Li, and Dr. Kimberly Hill for all the guidance and mentorship he received during his studies. 

“I’m so grateful, and I was grateful every day that I could be under their tutelage and take their classes. They really sparked all my joy, curiosities, and passions in history,” said Le. “I’m very grateful that I decided to study history at UTD. It’s probably one of the best of the decisions I made.”  


Olivia Speicher

Olivia Speicher

Student Assistant

Olivia is a communications assistant who works alongside the creative team to showcase the incredible talent of the Bass School Community. When she’s not photographing events or attending classes—she loves to write sci-fi fantasy fiction stories and play D&D.