Eric Nelson Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Out of over 7,000 nominated educators across the U.S., Matthew Vriesman won the accolade of 2023 National History Teacher of the Year from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Photo of Matthew Vriesman — MSU History Alum Matthew Vriesman

Vriesman, a Missouri State University history alumnus, was honored at a ceremony in New York City on Oct. 24, 2023.

The institute is dedicated to K-12 history education and the award celebrates the value of history education by honoring outstanding American history teachers.

As the 2023 National History Teacher of the Year, Vriesman is currently serving as an ambassador for the teaching community and a thought leader on the importance of high-quality American history education.

According to the institute’s press release, Vriesman stood out for his exceptional teaching of American history, which includes facilitating a historic virtual tour of western Michigan.

“It’s an honor to win this award. My students and I were excited when we received the news,” Vriesman said. “I hope this award serves to normalize an antiracist approach to teaching U.S. history classes.”

Vriesman has been teaching AP United States history, AP world history and AP African American studies at East Kentwood High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for about six years now.

“It’s a diverse school with about 90 different languages spoken, which makes it a cool place to teach history,” said Vriesman, a west Michigan native.

Making his Missouri statement

Influenced by his mother’s love for reading and history, Vriesman never wanted to be anything but a history teacher. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Calvin University in Grand Rapids before travelling to Asia.

After teaching U.S. history in South Korea and Kuwait for about seven years, he began a master’s degree program in history at MSU.

“While searching for what school to attend, I discovered that my favorite history textbook, ‘Ways of the World’ was co-written by a professor at MSU, Dr. Eric Nelson,” Vriesman said. “It influenced my decision to come here.”

Nelson is a professor of world history and the director of graduate studies in the history department. He was also Vriesman’s advisor. [Read more…] about Alum Matthew Vriesman wins National History Teacher of the Year Award

Discovering the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots

Myers first encountered the story of the WASP veterans while doing other research as an undergraduate.

“I was intrigued by their story and the fact that they were the only women’s unit during World War II that did not receive veterans’ status or military benefits until decades later,” Myers said. “Women were shut out of military aviation for three decades.”

“I found the entire situation infuriating and I needed to know more,” she added.

Myers reached out to some WASP members through a website and grew committed to telling their stories after she heard back from them.