Lorna McCarron

Candidate statement

I am a PhD candidate in the Georgetown University German Department. In my dissertation I explore the depiction of marginalized bodies in twenty-first-century German-language literature, drawing on material feminist approaches while also engaging critically with concepts of race and disability. I have had the pleasure of sharing my work on these topics at GSA conferences over the past three years—presenting on panels in 2021 and 2023 and participating in a seminar on Medical Humanities in 2022—where I benefited greatly from meeting like-minded scholars. If elected for the role of GSA graduate student representative, I would advocate for the scheduling of more professionalization events for junior scholars at the annual conference. In addition to the existing graduate student reception and Emerging Scholars Workshop, events such as CV clinics or the implementation of mentorship programs would create spaces for graduate students to develop their resumes, learn more about different job opportunities, and expand their networks beyond their institutions. Given that conferences can be difficult to navigate, particularly for groups that have been underrepresented in academia, I hope that such programming would make opportunities for professionalization at the GSA more accessible and foster greater graduate student engagement at the conference.