The USU English Department named Abbie Chesley the American Studies Student of the Year for 2022-23. The faculty committee notes: “Abbie Chesley is an American Studies major with a focus in Arts and Media. She exemplifies the interdisciplinary skills of American Studies with her outstanding work in the fields of literary studies, film, history, and visual media, and she did outstanding public outreach work with her internship in Special Collections at the Merrill-Cazier library. Her coursework and capstone also display her strong commitment to examining and addressing issues related to diversity and equity in popular media and local communities. Following graduation, she will pursue a master's degree in library science in Fall 2025.” 

Abbie says of her time at USU, “The American Studies program created a way for me to explore beyond what I would have been to experience in other majors I was considering. I enjoyed the flexibility and options it had and also the challenges of interdisciplinary course work.”