Biography

I graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video while minoring in African/African American Studies. I continued my education by earning a Master of Arts from the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies at New York University, where the study of filmmaking on the African continent became my focus. When conducting research on filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo, I learned about international omnibus films, or anthology works which feature contributions from directors around the world. At Cambridge, I look forward to crafting a thesis dedicated to omnibus segments produced by filmmakers from African countries and the nature of being asked to represent a nation or perhaps even an entire continent. My goal is to reevaluate the omnibus voice as a space where filmmakers speak alongside one another, challenging the academic perception of a homogeneous, African film language. Finally, I would not be a Gates Cambridge Scholar without the help of faculty references. I thank Dr. Faye Ginsburg, Dr. Manthia Diawara, and Dr. Marina Hassapopoulou for supporting my applications to the PhD in Film and Screen Studies course and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Previous Education

Grand Valley State University Film and Video
New York University Cinema Studies