Lindsey Meza, Public History Master’s student and President of the History Graduate Student Association (HGSA), was recently awarded the prestigious Loyola University Chicago President’s Medallion. The award is conferred annually to a graduate student from each of Loyola’s colleges. Winners of the President’s Medallion are those students who “best exemplify a combination of outstanding scholarship, leadership, and service.”

MA Student and HGSA President Lindsey Meza

Lindsey has demonstrated a commitment to service and community both at Loyola and within the wider Chicago community. She recognizes public history as a method through which she can engage communities and better serve their needs. Her campus leadership roles and scholarship reflect this commitment.

As president of the HGSA, Lindsey strives to foster connections between her fellow graduate students and build a supportive peer community. Lindsey plans to reintroduce the History @ Work Program, an initiative first implemented in 2014 by Loyola history students seeking to connect their peers to historical organizations in Rogers Park. This plan was inspired in part by Lindsey’s own work as a volunteer for the Chicago History Museum. She hopes that the skills and knowledge learned in the classroom will be applied by history students in the service of their communities. 

Lindsey also volunteers at her church, where she serves the women of her congregation by promoting their welfare. This includes helping women facing eviction and job loss to find resources, nurturing friendships between women, and ensuring that women’s voices are heard within the congregation. She advocates for her fellow congregants, recognizing them as individuals with unique talents and ambitions.

Through her scholarship, Lindsey has explored a variety of topics, from critical work on the connections between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and slavery, to work explaining the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and burro policies, to fostering histories of Latino Chicago.

Lindsey said of her accomplishment that "I am so humbled to receive this award. I hope that I will be able to live up to the honor of the President's Medallion." 

The History Department congratulates Lindsey on her outstanding achievement!