“I’m so glad you are going into higher education” and other things I’m told: A scholar’s emergence

• In Event: Who are we? Developing scholarly identity through lived experience

Abstract

In this paper I reflect on and theorize the moments and interactions in my life that have shaped me into the scholar, theorist, and change agent I am and am becoming. I write specifically about the otherwise untold mental work of knitting together my critical theoretical perspective with my identities as a queer/straight-passing Christian who otherwise fits perfectly into the (white, upper-middle class) academic mold. I discuss how my experiences witnessing the way the neoliberal academy and academics abuse faculty, staff, administrators, and students have shaped me into a leader for social justice even as a graduate student. In considering the many ways I constantly check my own privileges and the responsibilities I have to my community, I strive to honor my grandfather’s legacy of championing and believing in minoritized community members.

Author

• Nora A. Devlin, Rutgers Graduate School of Education