A 6th year PhD student and a scholar of contemporary Persian and French literature, Leigh is also a gifted teacher committed to meeting students where they are and helping them to see the wide landscape of somewhere new. This commitment for Leigh also naturally extends to a deep dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Her students agree on the remarkable sensitivity with which she creates conditions for discussion, even (or especially) on the most fraught topics. “She was incredibly good at leading discussions,” writes one, “that allowed for conflicting opinions to be debated in a healthy and constructive manner.” Another concurs: “She created … the most positive learning environments … where you can see your learning having a purpose outside of the classroom, and you can see the application of things in your own life in your learning.”

Leigh has also committed a generous amount of her time to working on her own teaching and helping others improve theirs. Since 2016, she has been actively involved with CRLT. She has mentored others as a Facilitator for practice teaching sessions (2016) and as Grad Student Instructional Consultant (2017). Even now, as she is deep in the dissertation, she is completing certificates in Graduate Teaching and in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professional Development, both to be conferred this year by CRLT and Rackham, respectively.

One of her students writes of Leigh, “She is an incredibly inspiring person, and always tries to learn from the students as well.” 

The community of dedicated teachers in Comparative Literature congratulates Leigh. We all learn from one another’s examples, and are proud and honored to call her one of our own.