Syma Mendelsohn moved to Springfield in 1973. She earned an MA in History at UIS (then Sangamon State) over the next three years. While working as a graduate assistant in the Oral History Project under the direction of Cullom Davis, she discovered a talent for writing, marketing and management. In the Washington, D.C. area since then, she has excelled in a career in direct marketing and communications, winning numerous marketing awards, working with hundreds of associations and non-profits, and mentoring dozens of young professionals. She hopes to encourage other graduate students in history through this scholarship.