Meet Madison VanWalleghen, a 2023-2024 Graduate Dean's Award recipient. Madison is a doctoral student majoring in Communication and Information.
Please give a short overview of your research.
My research focuses on identity communication at the intersection of race, gender, and sports. Specifically, I aim to serve underrepresented communities by sharing their stories of threshold identity as it relates to race, gender, and sports in the United States.
What made you choose to pursue your graduate degree here at Kent State?
I chose Kent State for a number of reasons. I grew up in the Midwest and Kent State felt like home. Academically, Kent State is a great place to pursue interdisciplinary work. I am rooted in Communication and Information, but also taking classes in Sports Administration and even considering History courses that would inform my research and launch my future teaching/research career. A lot of schools want you to stay grounded in your major, especially at the graduate level, but Kent State allows me to branch out and pave my own way.
What do you enjoy most about attending Kent State for graduate school? and/or What do you anticipate taking advantage of at KSU?
I'm in my first year at Kent State, and there have already been so many opportunities for so many different things. I've met people and formed great relationships, taken advantage of research opportunities, and really formed a sense of community already.
What are your future goals?
When I graduate, my goal is to find a tenure-track position in a communication department that places value on interdisciplinary work. I'm really looking for a place where I can combine my love of sports with my love of communication and storytelling. It is also important to me to find a place where I have the opportunity to teach just as much as research.
What does this award mean to you and how will it aid you?
This award is such a blessing. It has allowed me to obtain the technology I need to be successful, and will continue to provide opportunities to me throughout my first two years here at Kent.