Graduate Mentors

Carol Araújo Soares (Mellon II)

Program: Comparative Literature

Field / Specialization: Cultural Studies, Critical Theory, Latinx Literature, Brazilian Literature, Gender Studies, 20th-Century Literature, Intersectional Feminism, Poetry and Poetics

What aspects of the program do you look forward to most, or what goals do you plan to accomplish as a graduate mentor? I’m looking forward to teaching and learning from these developing scholars. I believe that education is a two-way street, and being in contact with people from diverse fields of interest who come from many different contexts is important to maintain the diversity cherished in the university since this is not only about the research itself but also about the life experience of these people. Personal experiences from those who are political beings cross what they write and how they produce their writing, which makes their work of extreme importance also for their collective, which often does not see this place as attainable. It is an honor to collaborate as a mentor supporting students at the beginning of their research journey.

Liz London (Mellon I)

Program: African American Studies

Working at the nexus of Black Feminist Thought, Black Queer Studies, and Black Visual Cultures, Liz seeks to complicate notions of the major Black artistic movements of the 20th and 21st centuries by tracing a new set of genealogies within the visual arts canon. Her work explores the artistic, intellectual, and political practices of Black Queer women image-makers and writers through themes such as self/portraiture, visual literacy, literary theory, and cultural production.

Gabby Mahabeer (Mellon I)

Program: Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Field / Specialization: Caribbean Studies; Queer/Trans Studies; Cultural Politics; Radical Care; Erotic Autonomy; Sovereignty, Freedom, and Futuremaking

What aspects of the program do you look forward to the most, or what goals do you plan to accomplish as a graduate mentor? I'm so excited to build with the MMUF community and support undergraduates as they take their next steps as researchers, producers of knowledge, and people. My hope is that we can all learn together and gain the skills to truly diversify academia – and, more largely, the worlds we occupy – as we build better futures for ourselves and each other.

Brenda Umutoniwase (Mellon II)

Program: African American Studies

Brenda's current research focuses on formulations of Blackness beyond the Middle Passage epistemologies, particularly looking at temporal/geographic spaces in Africa that have no direct connection to the events of the Middle Passage. With her current focus on Rwanda, Brenda studies sound and sonic practices as an alternative archive of colonial violence and race-making to think broadly about race and violence in African and diasporic contexts.

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Monique Wimby (Writing Coach)

Program: African American Studies

Monique's current research prioritizes understanding Black women’s interiority in the U.S. South by investigating the myriad of ways embodiment, spirituality, and land coincide for ontological survival and continuity.