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  • Writer's pictureOlivia Shepard
    • Jan 8
    • 2 min read

Hello!

Happy New Year and welcome to my first ever blog post! As I prepare to complete my last semester of undergrad, I thought it would be time to begin a blog where I can keep a written accord of my creative and professional developments as well as the occasional personal life updates. I know that this year will be full and busy for me -- I am graduating from undergrad, starting grad school, and will be thinking deeply and critically about my future. As UVA has just been approved to hold a PhD Media Studies program, I may find myself becoming a triple hoo. Or, perhaps my calling is elsewhere, where I can develop my research and prepare for a ~hopeful~ career in academia.


For now, I will stick to this next semester, and detail some of the big things I will be working on before I graduate in May:


- My two biggest projects this semester will be developing and creating my 4th year exhibition as a Studio Art major, as well as finalizing my Miller Arts Scholars Fourth Year Award, Untitled Regency Romance Game. With help from advisors such as Dr. Sean Duncan and Lydia Moyer, I will be continuing to create through femininity, imagination, and games as I have for most of my undergraduate career.


- I am happy to announce that this semester I will be working under the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies as their Editorial Intern! I have already begun some work over this winter break and will continue to fact-check articles through the Chicago Manual of Style. I already have gained valuable experience in the field of academic research and am excited to apply my new skills to my own writing.


- I will continue to develop my research focuses on games, women, fandom, and their communities. I have written an article to UVA's undergraduate Media Studies journal Movable Type, which is under peer review. I also applied to present on women and machinima production to American University's 8th Annual Feminist Art History Conference and the Tisch School of Arts 2023 Cinema Studies Student Conference. I wait to hear back from these groups and am excited for more opportunities to open up for me.


I am thankful for the opportunities I have received and that I know lie ahead. I will continue to update my website/blog in the next coming weeks/months. Thanks for reading!


- Olivia

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