Mila Westhoff Kaut (she/they) is a PhD candidate in the History Department. Her dissertation examines how historical preservation and public memory shaped modern statecraft in what is now the Midwest region at the turn of the nineteenth century. Mila approaches writing as a collaborative process, and is excited to cultivate meaningful writing rituals and interdisciplinary communities with other graduate students. Mila aims to support writers in clarifying and actualizing their scholarly identities through the writing process.