Hailing from the charming small town of Merrickville, Ontario, Emma began her academic background at Queen's with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Global Development. In her graduate studies, she hopes to delve deep into the fascinating intersection of social media, fashion, and identity. Her research focuses on the dynamic and ever-evolving realm of digital subcultures, investigating how individuals construct and express their identities through aesthetics and cores within the online sphere. This exploration seeks to shed light on the complex interplay between digital culture, personal expression, consumerism and social identity.

If you would like to connect or learn more about her research, please feel free to reach out to her via email at 18ermm@queensu.ca. 
 

My name is Yuning Gao, and I am open to being addressed as Nicole. My pronouns are she/her. I was born in the northeast of China. With a bachelor’s degree in Acting from the Central Academy of Drama in China, my area of specialization spans over a decade in Peking Opera Acting. Within the rich cultural landscape of China, Peking Opera not only embodies a traditional art form but also holds the status of an intangible cultural heritage. Regrettably, this unique stage art form finds itself on the brink of endangerment.

My niche within Peking Opera lies in the role of "Laodan," which involves portraying older female characters with a distinct high-pitched voice, ranging from impoverished individuals to palace consorts. This journey has fostered my research interest in the Inheritance and Evolution of the Role of "Mother” in Chinese culture.

In the past two years, I completed my first master's degree at Northeastern University in the United States, majoring in corporate and organizational communication. My specialization focused on cross-cultural communication, providing me with a deeper understanding of the intricacies involved. Throughout my academic journey, I conducted research on topics such as Cultural Diversity, Gen Z's engagement with Performing Arts on Broadway, and the resolution of cross-cultural conflicts. These insights greatly inform my current research proposal. The realm of Cultural Studies has strongly fascinated me due to its interdisciplinary nature, striking a chord with my diverse academic background and igniting a curiosity to delve into my authentic origins.

Feel free to reach out to me via email, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or Instagram:

Email: 23WH10@queensu.ca

WhatsApp: 857-763-9824

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuning-nicole-gao-124a3722b/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicole_gaooooo/

Martha has a particular interest in deconstructing gender disparities in digital storytelling and the resurgence of independent cinema. She earned her Masters in Media Production with a concentration in screenwriting from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in September of 2021. Prior to starting her PhD in Culture Studies at Queen's University, Martha worked in the independent film industry in Toronto including her positions at the Canadian Film Centre, TIFF and Hot Docs.

During her Bachelor of Journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University, Martha served as videographer for an award-winning documentary exploring domestic sex trafficking in Ontario entitled Trafficked. The film received the Student Award of Excellence for Outstanding Journalism from the Canadian Association of Journalists in May of 2020. The production team was also awarded the Post-Secondary Youth Award
in the 2020 Amnesty International Canadian Media Awards.

Martha can be found perfecting her earnest attempts at knitting and trying to fall gracefully while rollerblading.

As an arts-informed literacy facilitator working with people experiencing the marginalization imposed by poverty, racialization, incarceration, and disability, Lorie's current interest lies in exploring arts-integrated ways of knowing to advance social justice issues relating to carceral reform. Her Ph.D. focus is the use and impacts of Victim Impact Statements in policy, procedures, and societal perceptions regarding moral choice vs. social construction factors relating to justice and crime. Understanding that each victim's voice is essential for restorative justice and reintegration, her research will evolve around transformative and reparative practices in settler-colonial society. 

Lorie is an alumnus of the Ontario College of Art (OCADU) who also holds a master's in Adult Education. Living on and working within traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory, she has publications in the Cambridge Scholars Publishing education series and the Journal of Qualitative Inquiry (QI).
 

I am a journalism and mass communication undergraduate from India, who was drawn to Cultural Studies due to its interdisciplinary structure, its focus on the socio-political implications of art that affects said culture, and the beautiful city of Kingston and Queen’s University. I have lived in Delhi my entire life, and blissfully luxuriated in the grounds of old monuments (access to which is almost always free), well-curated museums (despite our memorabilia being ravaged by the British), and some of the oldest, densest and most colourful markets in the world (you pay only in sweat and aching feet). Access to such rich culture being equitable and accessible is an issue close to my heart, and one which I battle when I see important, and more gravely, stolen art, being gatekept behind expensive ticketing, pricey flights and hotels, passport discrimination, and white skin by the Global North. I hope to explore this during my years being a graduate student in the Cultural Studies department. In my spare time, I like to read novels and talk about them in my small but voracious book club, and watch movies with my friends, endlessly pausing to comment and critique. You can follow me on Instagram here, on Linkedin here, and on StoryGraph here.

I am a Communication and Culture studies graduate from the University of Calgary, who is passionate about helping mixed race, minority, immigrant, and less fortune kids and families. During my undergrad I conducted a 4-month capstone research project on the self-identity of mixed-race youth and the social issues they can grow up around, which was inspired by my own experience and upbringing being biracial. It was here I became committed to the importance of young kids seeing themselves in others, whether that be race, religious affiliation, gender, sexuality, etc.  I have also dedicated myself to being a role model for mixed race, minority kids, following the philosophy that “If you can see it, you can be it".  This is what drew me to cultural studies, as well as my love for always learning and growing. 

Dr. Lindsay Morcom (Ardoch Algonquin First Nation) is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education. She earned her Master’s degree in Linguistics at First Nations University through the University of Regina in 2006. She then completed her doctorate in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in 2010. She is an interdisciplinary researcher with experience in education, Aboriginal languages, language revitalization, linguistics, and reconciliation. She is of Anishinaabe, Black Sea German, and French heritage and embraces the distinct responsibility this ancestry brings to her research. She is an active member of the Kingston urban Indigenous community and works collaboratively with the Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest to foster urban Indigenous language revitalization.