Kamille Anaya is a member of the 2027 undergraduate class at Trinity College, where she is majoring in Sociology and American Studies. Originally from Spring, Texas, she has a passion for researching town histories and connecting with community members. This summer Kamille has worked on the Mapping Texas Treasures Project with Ana Alicia Acosta and Melissa Fontenette-Mitchell in the Community Heritage Development Division.
The Preservation Scholar Program has greatly impacted my outlook on the effort public history plays in shaping communities in Texas. More specifically, working with the Community Heritage Development Division of the Texas Historical Commission, I am exposed to various programs that aid in building community. One example is the ongoing Texas Treasure Business Awards (TTBA) program that commemorates Texas businesses that have been operating for over fifty years. However, my project, Mapping Texas Treasures, is intended to construct a map for Texas residents and tourists to have a visual representation of current and past TTBA recipients. Mapping Texas Treasures has been a rewarding project because it is simultaneously giving me the experience of learning Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping while building a product for future Texas tourists. Additionally, this project grants me the invaluable opportunity to merge my social science research skills with historical knowledge as a method of continuing the tradition of celebrating Texas businesses. However, learning GIS was not a linear process, but rather a journey with small bumps on the road. Despite being faced with struggle, I persevered by putting in time to learn the platform and gain enough knowledge to ask questions that would lead to my success. I am proud to state that I have mapped out over half of the current TTBA recipients.
Being a Preservation Scholar prepares me with additional skills that focus on building connections and collaborating with different divisions. For instance, weeks four and five task me to work alongside Trinity, another scholar in the Marketing and Public Relations division, to produce a “call-to-action” campaign for TTBAs. Our “call-to-action” would encourage readers to nominate historic Texas hair salons and barber shops to increase their TTBA representation. With the help of my supervisors, I was able to efficiently communicate the vision I produced to Trinity to create a deliverable that hits realistic goals. I am grateful to have the opportunity of being in the Preservation Scholar Program because I am prepared to bring GIS mapping and cross-collaboration skills to my following academic and career opportunities.
This post is part of our blog series “Scholars Speak,” which features writing from our 2026 cohort of Preservation Scholars. Click the link to learn more about this donor-funded program, which expands the range of perspectives represented in the Texas historical narrative by placing students from historically underrepresented communities in paid, 10-week summer internships with the Texas Historical Commission.