LaToya Leary

Motivation to pursue a graduate degree

I absolutely love diversity! Diversity is a powerful concept: it is the tool that colors our world. For centuries, human beings have feared it, stifled it, and used it as justification to commit some of the most egregious acts. Religious observers and the texts that they subscribe to are no different. Why not? This is the question that drives my scholarship and is part of the reason I am working toward a graduate degree. I greatly desire to live in a world that appreciates color and diversity. I believe that the tension that is present in the Hebrew Bible and in early Jewish texts can help us deal with the tension we face in the current-day fight for and against diversity.

Importance of research and work

My research examines constructions of social identity in early Jewish texts. I aspire to study the behaviors that identify societal “anomalies” (women, various ethnicities, children, the disabled) and give voice to those societal “anomalies.” Lately, I have been investigating conceptions of masculinity and its effect on normative social frameworks.

Accomplishments during graduate career

I am proud to be a recipient of the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship.

Career Aspirations

My future aspirations include teaching, researching, and creating spaces that encourage fellowship, personal development, and the freedom to BE.