ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION
The World Languages and Cultures Graduate Students Association (WLC-GSA) started its operations in the Fall of 2025. It is a student-led organization committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and intellectually dynamic community for graduate students within the department. Bringing together students from diverse linguistic, cultural, and academic backgrounds, the association serves as a central space for connection, collaboration, and shared growth.
Mission
The mission of the WLC-GSA is to provide a forum for graduate students to enhance their knowledge of world languages through service, social, and education-based activities and events and to promote professionalism and fellowship among graduate students. More than just a social organization, WLC-GSA is here to help you navigate Knoxville, your graduate program, your department, the university, and grad school in general through the Peer-mentorship program. We also proudly serve our fellow graduate students as a liaison to the faculty and administration, both in and outside of the department. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please contact any of us directly. As always – Go Vols!!!
Vision
The vision of the WLC-GSA is to develop a strong Graduate Student Association that will benefit students before, during, and after their studies at the University of Tennessee and to further showcase and promote the excellence of the Department of World Languages And Cultures.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
The World Languages and Cultures Graduate Students Association (WLC-GSA) is led by a dedicated Executive Board composed of graduate students committed to serving their peers and advancing the association’s mission. The board plays a central role in organizing activities, facilitating communication, and representing the graduate student body within the department.
2025/2026 Academic Year Executives
Alyssia Lira – President
MA in Spanish Applied Linguistics and Second Language Studies
Psycholinguistics, Neurolinguistics, Applied Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition
Alyssia Lira is a second-year Master’s student in Spanish. Her research interests center on second language acquisition and neurocognition, specifically how working memory predicts vocabulary learning across proficiency levels. She is a proud Vol for Life, having completed her Bachelor’s degree in Hispanic Studies and Political Science at the University of Tennessee.
Cynthia Chiamaka Onah – Vice President
MA in German
Feminist theories, Women Gender Studies, migration studies.
Chiamaka Onah is a second-year master’s student in German. She is finishing her thesis “Transnational Feminist Perspective on the Sexual Exploitation of Women in Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy and Kenneth Gyang’s Ólótūré. Her research explores the factors that enable and sustain sexual exploitation across borders, and also explores the lived experiences of women using cinema as a tool.
Omotoyosi Obalanlege – General Secretary
PhD in German
Women and Gender Studies
Omotoyosi Obalanlege is a first-year Ph.D. student in German at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in the Department of World Languages and Culture. She completed her master’s degree in German at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in May 2025, where her thesis, “Sexual Harassment and Gender Dynamics in Two of Konrad Wolf’s Films: Sonnensucher and Solo Sunny,” examined gendered power dynamics and women’s experiences in a male-dominated field in DEFA cinema. Her developing Ph.D. dissertation will continue in the same vein, as she plans to explore and juxtapose the intercultural experiences of women in Europe, America, and the African family. Through her doctoral work, she continues to explore questions of gender, agency, solidarity, and visual culture in German-language media.
Omotoyosi also teaches the elementary German language course. Her class encourages students to learn the basics of German and to speak it. In her classes, she gives all students an equal opportunity to put their language skills to use.
Email: ogbadebo@vols.utk.edu
Ibukun Falola – Treasurer
MA in World Languages and Culture with a concentration in German
Ibukun Falola is a first-year Master’s student at the University of Tennessee.
ifalola@vols.utk.edu
Morgan Schneider – Social Chair
PhD in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures with a concentration in Spanish with a Second Concentration in Latin American Studies
Hispanic Golden Age, Transatlantic Cultural Exchanges, Theatrical and Paratheatrical Productions of the Diabolical and Magical
Morgan Schneider is Ph.D. student in Spanish at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in the department of World Languages and Cultures. Morgan’s research interests are Hispanic literature and transatlantic approaches to the early modern period, including representations of magic and the occult through theatrical performance of varying genres. Her working dissertation title is “Imperial Devils: Representing the Diabolical in the Early Modern Hispanic Transatlantic”, in which she explores various representations of devils, demons, and other diabolical figures in the cultural production of the Hispanic transatlantic world using a range of literary genres and performances practices from the 16th-18th centuries. She is a proud alumna of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, receiving her B.A. in Hispanic Studies and M.A. in Spanish from the program.
Gbenga Akeju – Editor-in-Chief
PhD in German Language and Literature
Comparative literature, 18th-century German Literature, and Postcolonial literature.
Akeju Gbenga is currently a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 2016, he earned a master’s degree in German from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, where he examined the concept of tolerance in a German novel and a postcolonial novel: Zur Differenzierung des Toleranzbegriff am Beispiel von Chimamanda Adichie A Private Experience und Gotthold Ephraim Lessings Nathan der Weise. Prior to his PhD program, he worked at the Goethe-Institut Lagos, Nigeria, for five years as a language tutor, examiner, and teacher trainer.
His research interests focus on comparative literature, eighteenth-century German literature, and postcolonial literature. His dissertation examines how global literary traditions respond to ecological transformation in the context of modernity.
Email: gakeju@vols.utk.edu
Koudjo Mario DEGLE – GSS Representative
MA in French and Francophone Studies
Migration, identity and gender studies
Koudjo is a second-year master’s student and graduate teaching associate in French and Francophone Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is also pursuing a second Master’s degree in English Studies at the University of Poitiers in France. He has successfully completed his master’s thesis in April 2026 on the topic : L’épistolaire dans la littérature africaine francophone: l’intime et l’écriture. (Epistolary in Francophone African Literature: intimacy and writing). His work studies the role of the epistolary form in Francophone literature, focusing on its ability to express personal and sociopolitical realities in a postcolonial context. It also explores how epistolary writing functions both as a narrative device and as a space for the reconfiguration of subjectivity, memory, and identity.
Ophelia: William Shakespeare, Lisa Klein and Claire McCarthy, a comparative approach.
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The WLC GSA organizes a dynamic range of events and activities designed to support the academic, professional, and social development of graduate students. This section of the webpage will serve as a central hub for information about upcoming meetings, signature events, and community engagements, ensuring that students remain informed and actively involved.
All events organized by the WLC GSA will be posted in this section and regularly updated. Students are encouraged to check back frequently for the latest information on upcoming meetings, activities, and special programs.
RESOURCES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
The WLC GSA is committed to supporting the academic, professional, and personal success of its members by providing access to relevant and practical resources.
All available resources curated by the WLC GSA will be posted and regularly updated in this section. Students are encouraged to check back frequently for new additions and updates, as new opportunities, support services, and academic or professional development materials will be shared as they become available.
GET INVOLVED
The WLC GSA welcomes and encourages active participation from all graduate students in the department. Getting involved is an excellent way to build meaningful connections, contribute to the graduate student community, and help shape the association’s activities and direction.
There are several ways for students to participate in the WLC GSA. Members are encouraged to attend meetings, support and volunteer at events, join committees, and contribute ideas that enhance the academic and social experience of the graduate community. Active involvement provides valuable opportunities for collaboration, leadership development, and professional growth.
From time to time, the association will also announce open executive positions and leadership opportunities. These openings provide students with the opportunity to take on formal roles within the organization, contribute to decision-making, and gain experience in leadership, event planning, and organizational management. All relevant announcements regarding available positions, application procedures, and deadlines will be posted in this section.
Students are encouraged to check this page regularly for updates on participation opportunities and leadership openings. The WLC GSA values inclusive engagement and looks forward to welcoming new members who are eager to contribute to a vibrant and supportive graduate student community.
