Fellowship Helps Student Pursue Teaching Goals

For Gina Sully, a recipient of the Rogers Fellowship in English, teaching has always been what she wanted to do. Although she spent two decades working in the hospitality industry, she has returned to her first love of literature and teaching by pursuing her graduate degree at UNLV.

Although Sully was accepted to several prestigious graduate programs, she chose UNLV because she received a fellowship that allowed her to focus on her academics and research. Sully’s general interest is in American humor, and specifically domestic humor. She’ll be working on her dissertation in this area, and has used support from the fellowship to travel to conferences where she has presented her research papers.

The Rogers Fellowship is a five-year award that provides funding and teaching opportunities over the course of the graduate program. Sully is in her third year, and believes the best thing about the fellowship is that it has allowed her to focus her time on research and teaching without having to seek additional employment during this time concentrated research.

“I really have a passion to teach. It’s all I want to do,” says Sully, as the excitement in her voice rises. “I can’t believe that I actually get paid to stand in front of a classroom and guide young people as they try to work out their places in the world and show them how they can use language to find their way.”

“I’m doing precisely what I’ve wanted to do for my entire adult life,” says Sully

Her area of focus – domestic humor – is one that has not previously been studied in depth. She hopes that her research will uncover additional literature in the area of domestic humor and help others understand how it shapes and represents the American ideal of the family and the various shapes the family takes in the United States. 

Sully also knows that her time spent on research and education will help her to be a better teacher. Part of her research focuses on pedagogical methods and helps her ensure that she’s teaching in the most effective way for students to learn and maximize their understanding. She’s getting first-hand experience with this through the course she teaches in English composition to first-year college students.

“Doing research makes you a better instructor,” says Sully.  “For me, everything comes back to what’s going to happen when I’m in front of the classroom.” 

As the first woman in her family to earn a graduate degree, Sully is making the most of her education. Thanks to the Rogers Fellowship, she has the ability to devote her full time and energy to pursuing what she most wants – to be a teacher and share a love of language.