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Student research grant

Library Student Research Grant

Since 2003, Friends has awarded more than $19,000 to fund selected proposals by Messiah students for research projects.

Olivia

 

Please join us in congratulating Olivia Reardon, the 2025 Friends of Murray Library Student Research Grant awardee!  Olivia will graduate in 2026 with a bachelor's degree in English with a Concentration in Literature, Education, and Dance.

Her research project is entitled "The Great Books and Me: Ethical Formation in the Classroom."  With Olivia's goal of becoming a high school literature teacher at a Classical, Christian school, her project pertains to the kinds of literature teachers curate for their students to read and the way these teachers guide their students through the texts.  Olivia’s research will involve looking at records of historical curriculum for literature classrooms over time.  She plans to visit The University of Virginia Archives, housed within the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, which holds a wealth of records related to education, including student records, faculty papers, and university publications, accessible for research and historical study.

Her project also seeks to bring many voices into the conversation surrounding literature and reading.  Two significant voices contributing to her project are that of Dr. Mark Edmundson and Dr. Angel Adams Parham, both of whom are professors at the University of Virginia.  Since these scholars have expertise in fields directly impacting her project, Olivia plans to converse in person with them about their ideas and interview them for her research.    
Olivia's research will culminate with a presentation at the annual Friends dinner in the fall of 2025. 
Dr. Christine Perrin and Dr. Kerry Hasler Brooks are her faculty advisors.

Congratulations Olivia!

 
 

Recent Awardees

2023-2024: Michael Azar, Effects of Proglumide on Expression of Fibrosis in Pancreatic Cells

2022-2023: Micaiah Saldana, My Last Military ID and Other Stories From Growing Up Army

2021-2022: Hye Lim Jung, Tracing My Identity through Korean Myths and Folklore

2020-2021: Anya Benninger, Social Stories: Bookmaking in the Life of an Autistic Artist