Maya Musselman
Recipient of the 2026 William Stevens Powell Award
The William Stevens Powell Award was established in 2002 by the North Caroliniana Society in honor of the Society’s first president, long-time vice- president, and distinguished historian.
The award recognizes a student who, during the student’s career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has done the most to develop an interest in, and understanding of, the history and traditions of the nation’s oldest state university. Absent a deserving recipient as so adjudged, the award may be presented to the UNC-CH student who has done the most to develop interest in, and understanding of, the history of the state of North Carolina.
~ May 2026
On May 21, 2026, the 2025 North Caroliniana Society William S. Powell Award was presented to Maya Musselman during the Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Banquet held at The Carolina Club on the campus of UNC at Chapel Hill.
More information about the Annual Membership Meeting, including award recipients, can be found in Number 66 of the North Caroliniana Society Imprints, titled Write When You Are Ready by Dr. James W. Clark Jr. A panel of Society collaborators was part of the evening program.
A video of the afternoon’s festivities are available on the SOCIETY’S WEBSITE.
About the Recipient
Maya is graduating from from UNC-Chapel Hill with majors in Philosophy and Sociology. She is an ethics scholar in the Parr Center for Ethics, a member of the Carolina Mock Trial team, and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Maya created an elaborate paper wedding dress constructed of legal statutes and court records, carefully designed in layers that reflect specific elements of the history it documents. Her wedding dress was the final project for her Women and Gender Studies 101 course. The project traces North Carolina’s legal history back to its origins as a colony, focusing on North Carolina’s spousal sexual assault laws. Maya plans to continue researching and pursuing reproductive justice and women’s rights at law school next year.