The Michigan State University Department of History is proud to announce that Anna LePage has been named the 2025 College of Social Science Outstanding Senior in History. Born in Texas with roots in Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, LePage graduates this spring with a degree in history and two minors, in Peace and Justice Studies and philosophy.
LePage grew up reading historical fiction and has always had a ‘historic imagination’ that continued on into high school, where she had many influential history teachers. “Apart from my longstanding interest and positive experiences with history, I think that it nurtures a lot of skills like empathy, humility, and curiosity, which I’m always trying to work on and which I think matter a lot in the world.”
LePage credits several members of the history department’s faculty- Drs. Ronen Steinberg, Lisa Fine, Emily Conroy-Krutz and Ethan Segal, to name a few- for continuing to foster her interest in history and providing their support and guidance. She also gave her thanks to members of the history department administrative staff, Academic Programs Coordinator Alyssa Hartley, the MSU Writing Center, and her family and friends.
“It’s an honor to be named Outstanding Senior, but it’s mostly a reminder of the support and guidance I’ve received from the department through the years,” she said. “In that way, the honor should be all theirs.”
A memory from her time at MSU that particularly stands out to LePage is when she had the opportunity to do archival research on lobotomies for her senior thesis in Washington, D.C. But she will also fondly look back on some of the everyday elements of her life on campus, from breakfasts in Snyder Hall to football game tailgates and late nights studying at the library with friends.
This fall, LePage will be attending University of Michigan Law School, a new chapter in her life that she feels both nervous and excited to embark on. “I’m most interested in international and constitutional law, as well as legal history, though I could envision myself anywhere,” she said.
Congratulations, Anna!