Lynnell Thomas
Although I graduated from Wash U many years ago, I have never stopped being a student (both literally and figuratively). My education has included researching slavery on the Old Natchez Trace as a historian for the National Park Service and evaluating the Folklife Festival as a research fellow for the Smithsonian Institute of Folklife and Cultural Heritage. My continuing education has also involved jobs at a hole-in-the-wall bar, a seedy bail bonds in New Orleans (you'd be surprised what you can learn), attending graduate school (twice), and teaching a variety of subjects to a diverse body of students in San Francisco, Atlanta, New Orleans, and now Boston, where I'm currently an assistant professor of American Studies at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
General Information
Lynnell graduated in 1993 with a degree in English Literature and African and African-American studies. Currently, she is an assistant professor of American Studies at University of Massachusetts-Boston.
How did the Ervin program prepare you for life after your undergraduate years?
My Ervin experience validated my mother's oft-repeated adage: "The squeaky wheel gets the oil." After college, I was better equipped to ask for what I wanted, demand what I needed, and figure out what to do if I didn't get either.
What are your top two memories of the Ervin program, your Ervin classmates, and/or the Ervin administrators?
Ironically, my top two memories of the Ervin program both occurred when I was not a current Ervin scholar. The first was the finalist weekend that I attended while still in high school, most notable for the intellectual vigor of the students, the welcoming sense of community, and an argument with Mrs. E that we continue to this day (I'm still right). The other memory was many years later when I was a perpetual ABD ("all but dissertation") student. Dean McLeod's invitation (read: command) to return to Wash U to work on my dissertation illustrates administrators' attention, compassion, and gentle coercion that remain a part of the Ervin scholar's life long after graduation.
How have the Ervin principles of service, diversity, leadership, and scholarship shaped you as a person and professional?
I think the Ervin principles are reflected most clearly in my teaching and university service. How fitting, since it was at Wash U, at the insistence of Dean McLeod and under the guidance of Professor Gerald Early, that I first began to see myself as a scholar. Since then, I have attempted to synthesize a variety of experiences and ways of knowing, what we New Orleanians might call an intellectual gumbo. Just as my mentors modeled the Ervin principles for me, I also encourage my students' active engagement in their roles as scholars, leaders, and contributors to their diverse communities.