Student Spotlight February 2017

Lindsey Okoroafo

Lindsey graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Tiffin University in 2008.  She then attended Indiana State University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Arts in British and American Literature in 2010.  Lindsey began her studies in the Ph.D. Humanities program at the University of Louisville in Fall 2011.  She is a recipient of the Dissertation Completion fellowship for the Spring 2017 semester and hopes to graduate in May 2017.

My dissertation is an analysis of a prolific American author of historical novels that is not widely recognized for her impressive writing career, nor given the attention she deserves by scholars: Anya Seton.  I discuss how coercive gender power dynamics have continually silenced women’s voices and how these have negatively impacted the reception of Seton’s work in 1940s and 1950s, as well as Seton’s reception by scholars today.

Directly after graduating with my Master of Arts degree from Indiana State University in 2010, I became a full-time Assistant Professor of English at Vincennes University-Jasper from 2010-2013 where I taught research writing, world literature, and English composition courses.

Publications:
- “The Shift from Objectivity to Subjectivity: Movement, Intellect, and Art in Nineteenth-Century Realism and Twentieth-Century Modernism,” published in American International Journal of Social Science, Vol. 1, Issue 1 (October 2012)
- “Empowering the Non-Traditional College Student and Bridging the ‘Digital Divide’,” published in Contemporary Issues in Education Research, Vol. 5, Issue 1 (February 2012)
- “Peer Editing in the 21st Century College Classroom: Do Beginning Composition Students Truly Reap the Benefits?”, published in Journal of College Teaching and Learning, Vol. 8, Issue 5 (May 2011)

Leadership Positions:
-President of University of Louisville’s Association of Humanities Academics (2015-current)
-GNAS Representative for the Humanities Department (Fall 2016-Current)

Awards:
-The James Richard and Virginia Bash Memorial Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement of a Graduate Student in English, Indiana State University, 2010
-Graduating Class Recipient of the Dean’s Award for Overall Outstanding Achievement, Tiffin University, 2008
-Excellence in the Field of Study in English Award, Tiffin University, 2008