Senior Allison Kaye Extends her Activism Beyond the Classroom

Allison Kaye is a senior IDLS major studying Elementary Education with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies (WGS). Kaye is an exemplary student whose strong interest in promoting cultural competency and teaching children about systems of privilege and inequality allow her to combine the topics in her WGS courses and her fieldwork in education. Kaye’s has presented and been recognized for her research in the field at selective academic conferences. In April 2013, Kaye attended Gender Matters at DePaul University in Chicago and presented her paper “‘What Do Women Want?’ in Real Life in Comparison with 21st Century Hip Hop Culture.” In March 2015, she presented her paper “Empowering Jewish Women with Water: The Mikveh” at the Southeastern Women's Studies Association annual conference at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. This same paper was recognized as by JMU through its Feminist Scholarship and Creative Work Award. Additionally, Kaye was a recipient of the M. Louise Whitman scholarship for distinguished students in the minor.

In addition to her accomplishments in the classroom, Kaye’s activism extends beyond the classroom. Kaye has proven her dedicated through her participation in the Dukes for Feminism project implemented in WGS 400 with Dr. Jennifer Connerley. Kaye previously has served as co-editor of JMU’s literary zine Sister Speak and published some of her poems. Her poetry is also published online at The Lemon Quarterly. This past summer Kaye served as an intern for Disruptive Women in Healthcare where she researched, interviewed and compiled a series on maternal health and reproductive justice. One of her original pieces “Pregnant in Prison” has been cross-published by the Birth Institute. Kaye serves as a Court Appointed Volunteer Advocate in CASA for Children, teaches religious school at Beth El Congregation and is a founding member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and has served as scholarship chair.

As she finishes up her senior year, Kaye has been working on a senior honors thesis on the educational philosophy of Reggio Emilia and how these principles can best be incorporated in the American public primary classroom. She hopes to continue to bridge these two disciplines in the future.