B.A. English with Journalism – St. John’s University
M.A. English (in progress) – St. John’s University
Sydney Denham (she/her/hers) is currently completing her final semester of the Master’s year of the B.A./M.A. dual degree program here at St. John’s. She is also a graduate assistant for the Office of Marketing and Communications, Account Management. Over the years, Sydney has developed a love for literacy and reading the world through social media studies and movement studies, which she believes stems from her career in dance while growing up. Her master’s thesis focuses on literacy, as Carmen Kynard defines it in NLS, and rhetoric practices of fitness enthusiasts on Instagram–with a focus on biographies, workout plans, and hashtags–and how those practices may or may not engage with exercisers within the fitness community. This topic hints at Sydney’s hobby outside of research and class, which is strength training. Outside of studying and going to the gym, you can typically find Sydney listening to her vinyl collection, walking dogs in the neighborhood, or going around with her Nikon camera capturing scenery, sports, and portraits. Check out her photography here!
Once she completes her Master’s degree this winter, Sydney plans on bringing all that she has learned from the faculty at St. John’s into the classroom. She hopes to foster a classroom that does not follow suit with the individual-style setting in academia. Rather, she hopes to craft a collaboration-driven space where everyone, professor and student alike, are working with and learning from one another to enhance the way we think of the world and experiences around us.