About
My name is Rei Zimmerman
I am a senior at Louisiana State University student graduating in Spring of 2026. I am majoring in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies with a minor in Communication Studies and in English Literature with a minor in LGBTQ Studies. I am an undergraduate researcher and have worked at the LSU Reveille newspaper since 2022. My research interests include women, gender, sex, sexuality, feminism, and queer and feminist literature.
EDUCATION
B.A. English - Literature, Summa Cum Laude Sp. 2026
Louisiana State University (in progress)
Minor: LGBTQ+ Studies
Thesis title: “Purple Ribbons or Nooses: Romanticizing Abuse in Young Adult Romance Literature.”
Advisor: Michael Bibler
B.A. Liberal Arts - Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Summa Cum Laude Sp. 2026
Louisiana State University (in progress)
Minor: Communication Studies
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RESEARCH FIELDS
Feminist literature; Queer literature; Intersectional approaches to literature; 20th Century Literature; Botany; Victorian literature; Women of the Early Modern period
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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Michigan Humanities Emerging Research Scholars Program (MICHHERS) Su. 2025
Students have the opportunity to work on a piece of their own scholarship and/or develop a research project in consultation with University of Michigan faculty and graduate students in their field.
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LSU DISCOVER Project Fall 2024-Spring 2025
Year-long funding and mentorship for undergraduates in any field. Students are required to write a research paper and present findings at the Louisiana State University Discover Day Student Research Conference.
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LSU ASPIRE Program Fa. 2024
Offers research opportunities for undergraduates majoring in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Students are mentored by expert faculty and learn to apply techniques and information studied in the classroom in a research context in their own discipline.
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HONORS AND AWARDS
Outstanding Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Concentrator, Louisiana State University Sp. 2025
Lisi Oliver Undergraduate Award for English, Louisiana State University Sp. 2025
Discover Research Project Grant, Louisiana State University Fa.2024-Sp. 2025
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CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“Flowers and Femininity: Sex, Women, and the Botanical Sciences” at the Louisiana State University Discover Day Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference, Baton Rouge, LA April 2025.
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“Flowers and Femininity: Sex, Women, and the Botanical Sciences” at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Pittsburgh, PA April 2025.
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“Passing in Plain Sight: Visibility, Activism, and Identity in Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues” at WGS South (Formerly the Southeastern Women’s Studies Association or SEWSA), Atlanta/Decatur, GA, March 2025.
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STUDY ABROAD
Ogden in Oxford, Louisiana State University & St. Hilda’s College at Oxford University July 2024
LSU in Paris, Louisiana State University June 2024
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UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Undergraduate Research Ambassadors, Louisiana State University
President May 2025-present
Member Aug. 2023-May 2025
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Louisiana State University “Reveille” Newspaper, Baton Rouge, LA
Production Editor Aug. 2025-present
Chief Designer Aug. 2024-Aug. 2025
Copy Editor Aug. 2022-Aug. 2024
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Louisiana State University English Department, Baton Rouge, LA
Front Desk Worker Aug. 2022-present
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REFERENCES
Available upon request.