Ghaida Fadah, a junior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, has been chosen to serve on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Student Advisory Council.
The Gilder Lehrman Student Advisory Council is a diverse group of middle and high school students who provide valuable feedback on the institute’s programs and materials while also giving opportunities to do research projects and introduce new projects. Students are recommended to the council by a teacher based on their academic achievements and interest in American history.
Fadah of White Hall was nominated for the council by Dr. Neil Oatsvall, the chair of ASMSA’s Humanities Department and a history instructor. Oatsvall was recently named the institute’s History Teacher of the Year for Arkansas.
Fadah said the current council has around 50 students. The council traditionally has been comprised of students from New York City, where the organization is headquartered, she said. But because of in-person meeting restrictions because of COVID-19, the organization opened the council membership to students around the country. Meetings are conducted virtually, allowing a more regionally diverse group of students to participate, she said.
“They offer so many courses and programs to help teach history,” Fadah said of the institute. “The feedback given by the council helps determine what is used and how effective it is. I wanted to be able to give feedback and make sure we are represented.”
Oatsvall said Fadah stood out to ASMSA’s admissions team as someone with a strong interest in history. She had taken some advanced history courses— such as African American History and AP World History — at Watson Chapel High School, her sending school. Oatsvall serves as Fadah’s capstone project advisor, giving him a personal perspective on her academic interests.
“My impressions of Ghaida so far as her advisor have been very positive,” he said. “She’s bright and hardworking, but more importantly, she’s inquisitive and asks great questions. If she wants to be one, she’ll make a great historian.”