How/Why Research? As a student within the Humanities and Social Science fields, I have always been taught to question the ideas and existing systems that have created the societies in which we currently live. From micro-level topics such as why and how foreign-language learners develop the accents they do to the more distal ones such as prison overpopulation’s effects on inmate health conditions, it is imperative to study the world around us. After coming to UNC, within my general education social science courses I learned more about connecting issues abroad to similar problems within my community. Reaching out to my TAs and professors about opportunities to explore my interests outside of the classroom greatly moved me to become more involved in research.
Research Experience: Within my time at UNC, I’ve conducted two major research projects: one focusing on how prison conditions in France impact inmate health, and the other being a phonological comparison between the Québécois French accent and the general American English accent. The first project has been greatly informative about the French carceral system and how patterns of policing and imprisonment are beginning to reflect those of the United States. My second project taught me about how settlement in Québéc and the history of the territory since has created and maintained a unique linguistic culture despite its distance from the rest of the Francophone world, and how geographic proximity between the United States and Québéc has altered the phonology of Québécois French.
Student Organizations/Clubs: UNC CJAA, Affirmative Action Coalition, Les Francophiles
Random Fun Fact: I am trilingual! I fluently speak English, Russian, and French but hope to learn more.