Matilda Ziegler, a student in Troy University’s Department of History and Philosophy, has been awarded a Graduate Council Fellowship by Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, where she will begin PhD studies in environmental history in the fall.

The Graduate Council Fellowship is awarded to only 35 incoming graduate students at SBU each year and provides recipients with a full-tuition scholarship, an annual stipend, health insurance and other benefits.

Ziegler, an American history major with a minor in philosophy from Cliffside, N.C., said she is deeply honored to be one of the recipients of the GCF. 

“This is the culmination of years of my hard work, and it means the world to me to have been selected for this fellowship, especially at such a large and well-respected university during such a competitive application cycle. Most incoming PhD students already have a MA degree, so I was honored that Stony Brook has entrusted me with this opportunity straight out of undergrad. I plan to do my best to make the most of this opportunity, the same way that I have made the most out of my opportunities that I have been blessed with at TROY.”

At TROY, Ziegler has served as vice president of the College Democrats chapter and as president of the History Honor Society (Phi Alpha Theta Iota Mu Chapter), the Philosophy Society, the History Club, Trojan Debate Team, and the Environmental Club. She has also served as student editor of TROY’s peer-reviewed history and philosophy journal, The Alexandrian, and contributed opinion columns as a staff writer for The Tropolitan. Additionally, she is a member of TRIO, TROY’s Legacy Honors Program, and the Hiking Club. In the fall 2025 semester, she was named one of 15 candidates for Homecoming Queen.

Since 2024, Ziegler has served as a Chancellor’s Fellow Awardee, conducting research through the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Legacy Grant Program alongside History Department faculty members Dr. Robert Carlson, Dr. Tim Buckner, and Dr. Karen Ross.

“I researched the lives of seven Black men who fought for the United States during the Civil War, and I wrote biographies of their lives in order to contribute to the historical record and honor their legacies,” she said.

Ziegler credits TROY with helping her develop the skills that made such work possible. 

“TROY has prepared me for my next steps by connecting me with people who have helped me develop my skills,” Ziegler said. “For example, the mentorship I have received from Dr. Carlson throughout my Chancellor’s Fellowship has greatly improved my research skills.”

Off campus, Ziegler worked at the Alabama Department of Archives and History as a reference worker. She is currently a research assistant for the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative and a quiz bowl competition moderator for International Academic Competitions.

Ziegler selected SBU for its financial support available to PhD students, the distinguished faculty of its History Department, and its commitment to graduate research. SBU, an R1 institution, ranks among the top 60 universities in the nation for graduate studies in history.

“I plan on studying environmental history, specifically the modern history of pollution and its impacts on low-income and otherwise marginalized groups in Appalachia and the American South,” she said. “The past and the present are inextricably linked, and to understand the present fully, we must first understand the past.”

Ziegler credits several professors whose mentorship proved instrumental in shaping both her life and academic trajectory.

“I want to thank Dr. Carlson for encouraging me to apply to graduate school in the first place and for helping me become a better writer, researcher, and historian throughout my time at TROY,” Ziegler said.

“He has spent countless hours helping me improve my research and writing, and I believe that his consistent help and encouragement throughout the past two years is largely responsible for my success.

“I want to thank Dr. Gnoinska, who, in many ways, has provided me with an example of how I want to be as a professor,” Ziegler continued. “She has been an active advisor of History Club and is always willing to help students apply to graduate programs or improve their writing skills.”

Ziegler also credits Dr. Lim and Dr. Valentine with sparking a passion for philosophy, a subject she had little familiarity with before arriving at TROY.

“The philosophy program is one of TROY’s greatest strengths, and throughout the classes I have taken with Dr. Valentine and Dr. Lim, I have learned to think critically, question everything, and, perhaps most importantly, to examine my own self and my own beliefs critically,” she said. “They have been nothing but kind and encouraging of my academic goals throughout my time at TROY, and becoming a student of philosophy has made me a better writer, historian, and, most importantly, a better person.”