​My background is in history and historic preservation with an emphasis on gender, race, and sexuality in American history, agricultural preservation, and building conservation. Much of my research has focused on the study of gender and the built environment, seeking to understand how women’s perceptions of gender norms were manifested through their construction of spaces outside of the domestic sphere during the early-to-mid twentieth century. My undergraduate history honors thesis examined how the female founders and architects of Pine Mountain Settlement School's values shaped the campus's buildings and landscapes. Similarly, my undergraduate historic preservation honors thesis studied how female racehorse owners in Virginia challenged gender norms in the thoroughbred industry through the construction of breeding and training farms. Recognizing the need for a more comprehensive study of thoroughbred training landscapes, my masters thesis developed a typology for training barns in South Carolina. I hope to conduct a larger study of thoroughbred breeding and training landscapes on the East Coast to include an examination of gender, class, and race in the industry. Due to my background in historic preservation, I also have applied experience in National Register of Historic Places nominations, building documentation, conditions assessments, historic structures reports, cultural landscape reports, and architectural conservation treatments. Please visit maryfesak.org/resume/ for more information about my fellowships, internships, academic publications, projects, and reports.