Current Graduate Students

Rin Baker
Rin is a first-generation college student who earned her A.A. in Humanities and Social Sciences from SUNY Adirondack, and her B.A. in English with a minor in Educational Studies from the University at Albany. She is interested in researching the intersections of grief and literature and is eager to return to the classroom after two years of online learning. After class, you will likely find her crocheting, playing video games, or spending time with her two cats.

Michael Byrns
Michael is from Annapolis, MD and graduated from Williams College in 2018 with a BA in English. His current research interests revolve around postcolonialism, modernism, and the history of the English language novel. Outside of work, he can be found biking the Capital Crescent Trail and convincing people to watch Suits.

Kilmeny Chernys
Kilmeny graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University and is excited to be back on the Hilltop. After working for several nonprofit organizations, she switched paths to pursue her love of literature through a career in publishing. Beginning with the Columbia Publishing Course at Oxford University, followed by a stint as a publicist for Viking and Penguin books in New York, she is currently employed by W. W. Norton publishers covering the greater DC area. She enjoys reading almost all genres, discovering new species of plants to add to her growing collection, baking for her family, and watching classic movies.

Miles Cooper
Miles grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia and graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in English and a minor in Religious Studies. His academic interests include postcritique, Southern literature, literary perceptions of the self, and Romantic poetry. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, DJing, gardening, and cooking all types of food.

Nicole Davidow
Nicole received a B.A. in Public Communications from American University. Prior to re-entering academia, she worked as a content director in the commercial real estate industry and spent the past eight years in the marketing field. In her free time, Nicole enjoys yoga, running, growing her vinyl collection, and cuddling with her cat, Pippa.

Andrew Dickerson
Andrew is from Southern Louisiana. He received his B.A. in English from Dillard University. Before Dillard, he attended Donaldsonville High School where he graduated Salutatorian. At Dillard, he worked closely with and for his dear friends, Dr. Nia Haydel and Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy (the latter of which was Poet Laureate under Bill Clinton). Andrew enjoys exploration and expedition and is just as poised to explore the wilds around a city as much as the city itself.

Hayden Frye
Hayden is originally from Hickory, North Carolina, but has lived in Washington, DC for a decade. He graduated from Georgetown University’s College of Arts & Sciences in 2017 and worked in political and nonprofit communications during the ensuing years. His academic interests include Southern literature and speculative fiction. In his spare time, Hayden enjoys watching movies, pickling, and jogging.

Zoe Giglio
Zoe is from California’s San Francisco Bay Area and graduated with a double major in English Literature and Liberal Arts with distinction from Bishop’s University. Her academic interests include rhetoric, poetry, short stories and 20th century American Literature. Zoe has spent the majority of her life on the West Coast and is excited and curious to explore what the East Coast has to offer. In her free time, you can find her dreaming up new recipes in the kitchen, long distance running, seeing live music, and backpacking.

Madeline Greathouse
Madeline is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from The College of William and Mary with a B.A. in English. She has lived in D.C. since 2017, where she earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and practiced law at a boutique firm in its antitrust practice group. If you come to the city, you likely will see her on a run along The Mall.

Kyra Green
Kyra is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Kenyon College with a BA in Psychology and Sociology in 2017. Kyra moved to the DMV area a year ago after 4.5 years working in Admissions and Multicultural Life at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME. She currently serves as the Inaugural Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Graduate School. When not on campus, you can find Kyra reading a great book, channeling her inner Effie White as she watches Dreamgirls…again, searching for new additions to her vinyl collection or spending time laughing with her community of people.

Caroline Hannum
Originally from Oley, Pennsylvania, Caroline graduated with honors from American University with a Bachelor’s degree in History and minor in Art History. Before coming to Georgetown she embraced the quintessential D.C experiencing by interning for the U.S government multiple times. Her research focuses on studying how Empire and imperialist efforts impact identity regarding gender and class, and how literary movements reflect society’s attempts to cope with these changes. When not reading or writing she can be found cooking, eating, and traveling.

Isabel Harmet
Isabel grew up in San Diego, California, and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2021. She majored in English with a specialization in Irish literature, and she minored in philosophy. Her research interests include nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish and American literature, specifically Gothic and romantic works. In her free time, Isabel enjoys reading and writing poetry, and exploring local music and art scenes in different cities. Her biggest creative goal is to publish a book of her poems alongside her photography.

Tuong Vy Hoang
Vy graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in the History of Art and Architecture and a minor in English. Her academic interests include the motif of transience in art and literature, the relationship between historical preservation and community, and cultural themes in East/Southeast Asian fiction, particularly in terms of tropes and what they represent. Off the clock, she enjoys reading web comics and album reviews, café hopping, and relying too much on curtain bangs as an accessory.

Desi Isaacson
Desi is originally from Portland, Maine. In 2020, he graduated from Washington University in St. Louis where he majored in English Literature with a focus in Creative Writing and a minor in Philosophy. His writing and research focuses on the relationship between shame and humor in postmodern fiction. Desi has worked at several journalism publications, including as a food writer at the Riverfront Times in St. Louis and currently as a contributing writer for GOLF.com. He is also a professional podcast producer and a licensed drone pilot. You can follow him on twitter @desisaacson.

Astiya Ixangaliyeva
Astiya is originally from Astana, Kazakhstan, where it snows seven months a year. She received her B.A. in Communications from Temple University, Japan Campus. Her academic interests include teaching creative writing, literature from ESL authors, Central Asian and translated fiction, and fantasy novels. Outside of writing and reading, she is an active language learner and an avid anime enjoyer.

Dave Jefferson
Dave is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having traveled and lived around the globe extensively as a child. Ask him where he is from, and he might reply Cologne, Senegal, Islamabad, Karachi, Rome, Boston, Palm Springs, or Washington, D.C. — all places he’s called home. A graduate of Boston University (B.A., Political Science), his academic interests are character-driven literary works that blend the real with the surreal and have story at the heart. His thesis, “Where Are You From?: Identity and Rootlessness in Postmodern Literature,” focuses on issues of global identity, multiculturalism, and transnationalism. A glance at his bookshelf reveals works from Zadie Smith, J.M. Coetzee, V.S. Naipaul, Jhumpa Lahiri, and other authors. When his nose is not stuck between the pages of a book, Dave consults on business and technology strategy for the Federal government.

Morgan-Ann Kalin
Morgan-Ann graduated from Iona College in 2021, where she received a B.A. in English and Media & Strategic Communication. She recently moved to Washington from a small town in New York, which, she passionately defends, is not upstate. Morgan is particularly interested in the works of John Milton and will convince anyone of his position as an accidental feminist. Outside of the classroom, Morgan-Ann enjoys going to museums, finding cozy coffee shops, and traveling far and wide with her dog, Goose.

Chris Kenny
Chris graduated with a B.A. from Boston University and works as a Technical Writer for a software development firm. At Georgetown, he has been a Teaching Assistant for Fr. Mark Bosco’s Flannery O’Connor and Graham Greene courses. This year, he will work as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Global Irish Studies Initiative. In his free time, he plays baseball for the Long Island Blue Claws where he was selected as an all-star for the 2021 season.

Sarah Licht
Sarah is from Titusville, Florida and graduated from Grinnell College in 2022 with a B.A. in English and Psychology. Their research interests include late Romantic writers, femininity theory, and the intersection between medicine and literature. In their spare time, Sarah enjoys reading oversized fantasy novels, playing video games, and finding new places to buy coffee.

Mara Minson-Efimov
Mara is originally from McKinney, Texas. Upon completing her double major in English and Sociology at Washington and Lee University, she worked as a research analyst in D.C. Her research interests include late Victorian writers, New Women literature, and early 20th century feminist thought. In her free time, she enjoys reading and trying new coffee shops.

Mostafa Mahmood
Mostafa is originally from Upper Egypt and has lived in the DMV area for four years. Mostafa received B.A in English Language and Literature from Aswan University in 2011, and in 2014 he received a Diploma in Teaching Methodologies. In 2018 he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to work as an Arabic TA at The Catholic University of America. His research focuses on Class Mobility in American Literature in the nineteenth century. In his free time, Mostafa enjoys playing soccer, swimming, attending stand-up comedy shows, and meeting new people. His favorite comedians are George Carlin and Dave Chappelle.

Kavita Premkumar
Kavita Premkumar is from Bangalore, India, and graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College, MA in 2021, where she majored in English Literature and minored in Education. Her research interests include 19th century British Literature, Children’s Literature and Modern Irish Literature. Her senior capstone paper was focused on Tennyson’s incorporation of the fallen woman trope in the Idylls of the King. She is also passionate about local journalism and her work has appeared in the Wheaton Wire and the Martlet. She works as a Teaching Assistant with the Community Scholars Program.

Avery Rosen
Avery grew up on Long Island, NY, and graduated from Binghamton University in 2021 with a double major in English and Cinema. With a particular interest in Gothic and Weird fiction, a significant focus of her undergraduate studies regarded 19th and 20th century literature. Avery also has a deep passion for film, particularly film theory, and the role women have in the film industry. In addition to reading and watching movies, she also adores painting and writing poetry.

Molly Sullivan
Molly is originally from a small town in Westchester, New York. Molly received her B.A. in English and minor in History from Duke University in 2019. Outside of reading and writing, Molly’s interests include playing piano, running long distance, and cooking.

Halle Trang
Halle is a California native, having grown up in Los Angeles and graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in 2019 with a degree in English and a minor in Education. Her research interests include writing pedagogy, postcolonial theory, and Contemporary Literature with an emphasis on Asian American texts. She is a Teaching Assistant for the Community Scholars Program, and when she is not working or studying at a local coffee shop, you can find her cooking/baking, exploring museums, or volunteering with K-12 youth in various after school programs.