Meet the Students

Get to know the graduate students in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies for the 2024-25 academic year!

Faizat Oladunni Asifat

I’m a second-year graduate student from Osun State, Nigeria, with a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts (media arts) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. My academic interests include post-colonialism, migration, materiality, centering African narratives, and exploring the theories that emerge from everyday African practices.

Why CRS?

I chose the CRS program at Syracuse University because of its outstanding reputation and interdisciplinary approach, which provides an excellent opportunity to explore a wide range of subjects. I was also drawn to the diverse and experienced faculty, who offer valuable guidance in my academic and research endeavors.

Fun Fact

In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, organizing (sometimes), and spending time with my loved ones.

Victoria Bello

I’m Victoria, or Vic, a CRS graduate student. I was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, but have lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for quite some time throughout my life. I hold an Associate of Arts degree in fine arts with a focus in film from Baton Rouge Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies with a minor in screen arts from Louisiana State University. My primary academic interest is visual communication and the ways race, gender, and sexuality are represented. I am also interested in discourses of resistance, decolonial studies, epistemology, multiracial identity, and the rhetoric of control.

Why CRS?

The interdisciplinary nature of the program as well as the expertise of the faculty, especially in visual communication, sparked my interest in CRS. I ultimately chose CRS because of its focus on critical cultural studies, media studies, and contemporary rhetorical scholarship.

Fun Fact

I am a self-taught guitarist and bassist. I love road trips, hiking, vintage shops, and hanging with my dog and cats!

Presentations

“The Functional Coloniality of Now at the University: Abject Hegemony and Pro-Palestinian Student Activism Under the University Gaze,” Annual Convention of the National Communication Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 2024.

“None without the other: Twins as a Vehicle for Neoliberal Gender Ideology in Dead Ringers,” Biennial Convention of the Rhetoric Society of America, Denver, Colorado, May 2024.

Ash Cavalcanti

A first-generation Brazilian immigrant born in Maryland, Ash graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications studies. In her free time, she is a game designer, digital artist, and miniature painter.

Ash’s academic interests include procedural rhetoric, digital embodiment, and systems of violence and dehumanization. Her research aims to interrogate the underlying assumptions of our social systems and daily practice through an intersectional lens. Her paper, “A Face Without Words: Exploring Gender Expression through Digital Character Creation,” was accepted for presentation at the National Communication Association’s 110th Annual Convention.

Why CRS?

The diversity in disciplines and perspective really drew her to Syracuse. Academic discussion is always improved by open multidisciplinary discussion, as it promotes new ways of thinking and collaboration to solve complex problems.

Andrea Tapia Cera

I am a second-year graduate student at CRS from Mexico City/Syracuse, New York. I majored in English and adolescent education with a minor in modern languages from St. John Fisher University. My research so far is focused on modern literature, feminist theory, and performance studies.

Why CRS?

I was interested in rhetorical and cultural studies in my undergraduate experience, and I wanted to continue my education by broadening my studies on rhetoric.

Fun Fact

I have a whippet named Kiwi; I bring her everywhere I go when I can.

Anthoniet Essien Christian

I am a first-year graduate student from Cape Coast, Ghana. I majored in communication studies and minored in English and French at the University of Cape Coast. My academic interests lie at the intersection of media studies, social media language dynamics, and women studies. I am particularly focused on how these fields can be utilized to enhance cross-cultural communication and bridge cultural divides.

Why CRS?

I chose the CRS program to deepen my expertise in communication studies and to explore the role of rhetoric in the contemporary world. This program offers valuable opportunities to develop research and teaching skills, which will empower me to tackle complex social issues, such as girl-child education. By crafting persuasive messages, understanding diverse audiences, and advocating for social change, I aim to make a meaningful impact through effective communication.

Fun Fact

I enjoy listening to rhythm and blues (R&B) and pop music and take pleasure in caring for my natural hair. I also love singing in my free time.

Mary Hanrahan

I am a second-year graduate student from Massachusetts. I received a B.A. in writing and rhetoric and Russian area studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. I am interested in exploring the links between public space, gentrification, and memory through spatial rhetoric and mapping. I believe in producing engaged scholarship that serves to make positive change in the world, and I strive towards that end in and out of the academy.

Why CRS?

I chose CRS at Syracuse because it offered me the opportunity to learn from some of the most accomplished professionals in their fields while indulging my passion for interdisciplinary study. The size and scope of the program appealed to me because it offered an intimate yet challenging space for me to receive detailed feedback, engage actively with my colleagues, and explore my individual needs as a student.

Fun Fact

I worked in hospitality for over a decade. I love to cook and entertain as a means of community building, an act of love, and a mode of creative expression!

Presentations

“In Possession of Ourselves: Spotify Wrapped as a Celebration of Community Surveillance,” Rochester Institute of Technology School of Communication Student Research in Communication Conference, New York, 2024.

“Ideology, Power, and Hegemony: Commodified Digital Communities and the Ideological State Apparatus,” Guest Lecture for ‘Theories and Perspectives in Rhetoric,’ Syracuse University, 2024.

“‘Are we dating the same guy?’: Negotiating Safety and Surveillance in Geosocial Communities,” National Communication Association’s 110th Annual Convention, New Orleans, 2024.

Gabriel Herring

Gabriel Herring (they/she) was successfully indoctrinated into the cult of communication studies by their undergraduate debate coach after many years, despite a deep love of history and English. She is interested in critical cultural methods/pedagogy, the place of debate in democracy over time, analyses of race, gender, sexuality and class in popular culture (particularly in horror and police procedurals), as well as mixed race identity and communication in online communities.

Fun Fact

In their free time, they read and watch horror (a lot of it) with their partner and their two cats, Polo and Sharon. They also spend a painful amount of time researching new recipes and trying to find the best coffee shop within five miles of their location (wherever that happens to be).

Publications

Gabriel Herring, College of Idaho, “Queen Aggie: Boise’s Black Madam,” Intermountain Histories.

Kennedy R. Jones

From Huron, New York, on the shores of Lake Ontario, I graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with my B.A. in writing and rhetoric. At this stage in life, my academic research interests are in political rhetoric, the politics of rhetoric, as well as accessibility of being able to dissect and understand these concepts.

Why CRS?

I chose CRS at Syracuse University because of the breadth of research areas among professors in the program, as well as the alumni. I appreciate the program’s flexibility and encouragement to explore different disciplines within rhetorical studies in order to find where we, as blooming scholars and students, fit best.

Fun Fact

In my free time, I enjoy singing, baking, spending time with friends and family, and searching for small business jewelry/stationary finds.

Connor Knowlan

I am a second-year graduate student from Pennsylvania. I earned my undergraduate degree at Penn State Berks, majoring in communication arts and sciences. My research interests are in pop culture and media, focusing on comic books.

Why CRS?

I chose CRS because I wanted to broaden my experiences and get a deeper understanding of rhetoric as a whole and how it intersects with my own personal research interests. This program not only does that but encourages it.

Fun Fact

I am a fourth-degree black belt in goshin ryu ju jitsu and an Eagle Scout.

Débora Ferreira Leite

I am an international first-year graduate student and teaching assistant in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies. I hold a degree in journalism from the State University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, with a professional background in content production for marketing and photography. My research interests include migration, women’s studies, popular culture, and public memory. During my time at CRS, I am particularly interested in creating a media project that shares the stories of immigrant women.

Why CRS?

I chose the CRS program at Syracuse due to the strong alignment between my research interests and those of the faculty, as well as the warm welcome I received from both the staff and students during the application process.

Fun Fact

I have a passion for photography, which led me to take courses in Hawaii and Puerto Rico during a cultural exchange in the U.S.A. I also held a photographic exhibition in Brazil in 2021, and I am always taking photos of my friends just to visually save memories.

Caecilie Paarup Madsen

I am a second-year graduate student born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. I have a B.A. in rhetoric from the University of Copenhagen and also studied at the University of Edinburgh. I love traveling and have always wanted to explore the U.S., so when CRS offered me a spot in their program, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

My research is centered on the body – both how the body functions rhetorically and how the body becomes a contested political ground. My thesis explores the post-colonial relationship between Greenland and Denmark, specifically how Greenlandic women’s bodies and reproduction served as a tool of colonial control even after the official decolonization of Greenland.

Why CRS?

I picked CRS because of its interdisciplinary approach to rhetorical studies. We are encouraged to explore and engage with scholarship outside of our field and the department’s four walls, which is really important to me.

Fun Fact

When I’m not buried in books, you can usually find me hanging upside down in a pole dance studio or working my way through yet another story-driven video game.

Chimaobi Onwukwe

I am a first-year graduate student in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies. I hold degrees in linguistics and communication studies, as well as broadcasting, from the Abia State University, Nigeria. My research interests are multilingualism and language practices in the context of migration, as well as critical media and cultural studies.

Why CRS?

I chose the CRS program at Syracuse University due to its broad range of focus that my research interest draws on, such as critical media and cultural studies, performance studies, rhetorical studies, and language/linguistics.

Fun Fact

I like watching football and traveling.

Jerome Christopher Pearson

I am a second-year graduate student from Kansas City, Missouri. For my undergraduate degree, I attended Syracuse University, where I received a B.S. in communication and rhetorical studies. My academic interests revolve around the idea of how aspects of identity, such as race, culture and masculinity, are represented and communicated through fashion and popular culture.

Why CRS?

CRS professors have always been supportive and genuinely interested in the work and collaboration with their students. I also looked forward to gaining insight and knowledge from Syracuse professors’ expertise in the subfields of CRS.

Fun Fact

In my free time, I enjoy sewing, trying new food spots, and working out.