Joe Orbock named Outstanding Graduate Student in Liberal Arts 2007-2008 

April 2008—The Outstanding Graduate Student in Liberal Arts, Joe Orbock, will receive an M.A. in History from Texas State during the graduation ceremony
May 9.

Mr. Orbock earned his B.A. degree with honors in History and Government from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004, then entered Texas State to pursue an M.A. in History.

From 1998 to 2003, he served as Summer Camp Counselor and Commissioner at Worth Ranch for the Boy Scouts of America. In 2003, while still an undergraduate, Joe was appointed to the Planning Committee for the Student Leadership Conference, held by the LBJ School of Public Affairs. In 2005, he was Native-American Program Coordinator for Texas Folklife Resources, and for two years, a Teaching Assistant in the Department of History [2005-2007]. This year, Joe is the president of Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honor Society, and he is a member of both the Native American Students Association and the Latino Students Organization at Texas State.

Joe’s scholarly activities are well under way. Three articles—“Paramount Theater," “Buddy Ace,” and “Rap and Hip Hop”— are forthcoming in the second edition of the Handbook of Texas Music, and he has made two presentations: “Native-American Cultural Education in Austin” on radio station KOOP’s Native Horizons Program, and “Recurring Issues in Native American Healthcare” at UT-Austin’s Native American Lecture Series.

Named a National Hispanic Scholar, by the National Hispanic Recognition Program, Joe’s thesis, titled “Mexican American Political Organizations in Texas, 1948-1955,” focuses on the post-World War II political emergence of Mexican Americans in Texas. His thesis director Dr. Paul Hart calls it an “an important topic” that “contributes new knowledge gained through archival research.” Professor Hart has further observed: “Three things set Mr. Orbock apart and make him one of those graduate students that only come along every few years. The first is his intellectual curiosity and genuine thirst for knowledge. The second is his deep drive and determination. The last is a high level of self awareness and the palpable sense of accomplishment he gets from improving through hard work.”

Joe has been accepted and offered full scholarships from some of the top History Ph.D. programs in the U.S., including Berkeley, Michigan, Wisconsin, and UC-San Diego. After he receives his Master’s in May, he will pursue a doctorate at Berkeley.