{"id":4250,"date":"2026-06-23T11:05:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T18:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/?p=4250"},"modified":"2026-06-23T15:53:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:53:42","slug":"nurturing-scholarly-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Nurturing Scholarly Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n \n
\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Nurturing Scholarly Talent<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n By<\/span>Daniel P. Smith<\/a><\/strong>\n \n June 23, 2026<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n \n Share\n <\/span>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Copy Link<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Facebook<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n\n<\/svg>\n\n <\/span>\n X<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n LinkedIn<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Bluesky<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Email<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n
\"photo
Historian Peter Mancall is an expert on early America. (Photo: Misha Gravenor.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peter Mancall<\/a>, Distinguished Professor and Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, has led the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute<\/a> (EMSI) since its founding in 2003. When EMSI received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to spearhead LA2026<\/a>, he invited Laura Dominguez \u201912, \u201923<\/a>, who had emerged as the best candidate in a national search, to join the project as its postdoctoral fellow.<\/p>\n

What made Dominguez your top choice to help steer LA2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Laura has the critical and cultural skills to navigate our politically fraught age. She can take complex ideas and shape them for a wider audience. She also has the collaborative spirit to work with partners on programming that explores the founding principles of our country and what they mean in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n

How has Dominguez advanced the LA2026 effort?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Laura has deep ties across Los Angeles and extensive experience making research accessible to the public. She\u2019s helping cultural institutions and their audiences better understand the ideas behind exhibitions and public programs, and she\u2019s creating opportunities for thoughtful conversation about the past and its meaning today.<\/p>\n

What do you enjoy about working with early-career scholars like Dominguez at EMSI?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love the intensity these scholars bring to their research and helping them think about what comes next. It\u2019s exciting to support their development and serve as a sounding board as they consider different paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n \n
\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n America at 250 Through an L.A. Lens\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n\n Read More \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n USC Dornsife Magazine\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Summer \/ Fall 2026<\/h2>\n

America at 250<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n\n Back to Issue \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":970,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNurturing Scholarly Talent<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A historian explains how a scholar is helping Los Angeles residents explore the nation\u2019s founding ideals and their meaning today\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How public humanities can strengthen civic dialogue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A historian explains how a scholar is helping Los Angeles residents explore the nation\u2019s founding ideals and their meaning today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T18:05:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T22:53:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Letty Avila\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Letty Avila\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c5ea0e5498f3ce1654b108c21ac22bb\"},\"headline\":\"Nurturing Scholarly Talent\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T18:05:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-23T22:53:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3,\"articleSection\":[\"Article\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/\",\"name\":\"How public humanities can strengthen civic dialogue\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T18:05:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-23T22:53:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c5ea0e5498f3ce1654b108c21ac22bb\"},\"description\":\"A historian explains how a scholar is helping Los Angeles residents explore the nation\u2019s founding ideals and their meaning today\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nurturing Scholarly Talent\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\",\"name\":\"USC Dornsife Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c5ea0e5498f3ce1654b108c21ac22bb\",\"name\":\"Letty Avila\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5a9cd947869956cb8226c2ee320561df2910cf8855f815cc4f8d77fae0c6ec65?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5a9cd947869956cb8226c2ee320561df2910cf8855f815cc4f8d77fae0c6ec65?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5a9cd947869956cb8226c2ee320561df2910cf8855f815cc4f8d77fae0c6ec65?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Letty Avila\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dornsife.usc.edu\\\/magazine\\\/author\\\/lavila\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nurturing Scholarly Talent","description":"A historian explains how a scholar is helping Los Angeles residents explore the nation\u2019s founding ideals and their meaning today","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How public humanities can strengthen civic dialogue","og_description":"A historian explains how a scholar is helping Los Angeles residents explore the nation\u2019s founding ideals and their meaning today","og_url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/","og_site_name":"USC Dornsife Magazine","article_published_time":"2026-06-23T18:05:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-23T22:53:42+00:00","author":"Letty Avila","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/"},"author":{"name":"Letty Avila","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/9c5ea0e5498f3ce1654b108c21ac22bb"},"headline":"Nurturing Scholarly Talent","datePublished":"2026-06-23T18:05:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-23T22:53:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/"},"wordCount":3,"articleSection":["Article"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/","name":"How public humanities can strengthen civic dialogue","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-06-23T18:05:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-23T22:53:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/9c5ea0e5498f3ce1654b108c21ac22bb"},"description":"A historian explains how a scholar is helping Los Angeles residents explore the nation\u2019s founding ideals and their meaning today","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/nurturing-scholarly-talent\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nurturing Scholarly Talent"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/","name":"USC Dornsife Magazine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/9c5ea0e5498f3ce1654b108c21ac22bb","name":"Letty Avila","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5a9cd947869956cb8226c2ee320561df2910cf8855f815cc4f8d77fae0c6ec65?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5a9cd947869956cb8226c2ee320561df2910cf8855f815cc4f8d77fae0c6ec65?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5a9cd947869956cb8226c2ee320561df2910cf8855f815cc4f8d77fae0c6ec65?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Letty Avila"},"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/author\/lavila\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/970"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4250"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4741,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4250\/revisions\/4741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}