Abigail Ensinger Wins Johnston Memorial Award

HUNTINGTON, Indiana — The Department of History and Political Science at Huntington University is pleased to announce that Abigail Ensinger is the winner of the S.G. Whittle Johnston Memorial Award for 2025.

Ensinger is from Quincy, Illinois, and a graduate of Quincy Senior High School. She is currently working on a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in history and political science, and a minor in museum studies. She intends to graduate in May 2027 and pursue either graduate study or work in a related field.

Ensinger’s award-winning research paper was chosen by a competitive process and her project, “The Rise of the Khmer Rouge and US Involvement: 1970-75,” detailed how foreign involvement in Southeast Asia contributed to the political dynamics that elevated the Khmer Rouge to power in Cambodia. Her work was completed under the direction of Dr. Timothy O. Smith in his advanced seminar, America and Vietnam, in the fall semester of 2025.

The Johnston Memorial Award is given annually to the author of a research paper written in the Department of History and Political Science. Nominations for the award demonstrate the highest level of intellectual engagement and adherence to standards of professional scholarship.

“Abbi has produced a nuanced and articulate research paper that shines an uncomfortable spotlight upon a difficult period in Cambodian history,” Smith said. “In doing so, Abbi reveals how the actions of Great Powers can sometimes have unintended — but devastating — consequences for the peoples of smaller nations.”

The Johnston Memorial Award honors the memory of S.G. Whittle Johnston, late professor at the University of Virginia, and carries a cash award of $1,000. It is funded by the S.G. Whittle Johnston Memorial Award Fund, which was established by an HU alumnus and former faculty member to encourage students to strive for excellence in research in the fields of history and political science.