UW Graduate Student Selected for Modern Language Association Incubator Program

University of Wyoming graduate student Sydney Schmidt, of Sheridan, has been selected as a participant in the 2023 Modern Language Association (MLA) Public Humanities Incubator Program.

Schmidt, who is earning her Master of Arts in English, is one of 12 graduate students in the U.S. who will work under the supervision of top public humanists to develop her project before traveling to Philadelphia to present at the MLA Annual Convention in January.

Supervised by Associate Professor Arielle Zibrak, Schmidt will work to redesign and further develop the public-facing aspects of the digital archive of the work of Rebecca Harding Davis, a 19th century American author and activist.

“I am extremely grateful to be working on this project under the supervision of Dr. Zibrak, and I look forward to sharing more about the digital archive in the future,” Schmidt says. “The support I’ve received from the University of Wyoming over the past year has been overwhelming, and I could not have reached this accomplishment without it.”

Schmidt earned her bachelor’s degree in secondary English education from UW. By continuing her education at UW and specializing in the public humanities, she hopes to develop a relationship with nonprofit organizations, engage the public with diverse perspectives and contribute to social reform.

“Sydney is an outstanding student who has done a great job updating this valuable resource,” says Zibrak, who directs the archive site, which she says “is generously hosted by the English department and will remain a robust part of our public humanities program for many years to come.”

Schmidt’s research interests include representation of women in literature, educational studies and the digital humanities. She is slated to graduate in 2024.

To learn more about this project, email Schmidt at sschmi19@uwyo.edu.