Colin Hayward
Colin Wendell Hayward is a Graduate Student in North American History entering his final year Fall of 2026. His main academic focus is on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century frontiers east of the Mississippi, examining colonialism, cultural and intellectual exchange, and the violence that arose almost constantly during that time. His thesis paper will focus on the “captivity narrative” of Mary Jemison, who was taken by Shawnee and French raiders in 1758, traded to the Seneca soon after, and spent the remainder of her life with the Seneca—nearly 70 years. During that time she witnessed the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolution from the perspective of the Seneca, a perspective that was largely erased when she dictated her narrative to an American in 1823. Colin hopes to un-erase that perspective. In his non-academic hours, Colin likes music, video games, gardening, and his dog, Haven.
