Sydney Thaler
Sydney’s history has roots in Corbin, Kentucky – where Colonel Sanders first sold his now world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken. Despite being a vegetarian, she is always proud to share this fact with everyone she meets. As the Affiliate Coordinator for National History Day, Sydney hopes to leverage her experience as an NHD contest competitor to provide teachers, students, and judges with more insight into the impact of the program. Throughout 2019 and 2020, two Senior Paper projects (focused on Nikola Tesla and Mary Shelley, respectively) exposed her to the intensive historical process of research, analysis, and revision. In turn, she was hooked on History. May 2024 saw Sydney receive her Bachelor of Arts in the subject from Kenyon College. Ultimately, Sydney hopes that NHD will continue to galvanize students as it once did for her, and she is overjoyed to return not just to her Old Kentucky Home, but to the home she knew in National History Day.
Outside of KHS, you can find her daydreaming about her next trip to an amusement park or lingering anywhere cats are present. Staff member since 2024.