Helen (she/her) is a first-year PhD student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her bachelor’s degree in public relations and her master’s degree in media and communication at Middle Tennessee State University. Her thesis, “Gendered Space: Emerging Frames in NASA’s Public Relations and Mainstream News, 1958-1986,” explored the shifting media representation of women at mid-century in response to organizational changes at the space agency and larger societal shifts at the time. Helen has also presented research on the role of myth and power in gendered media representation. Her current research interests include intersections of power, gender, language, society and environment.

Before joining the sociology department, Helen worked in healthcare marketing and communications for six years. Most days, she can be found with a book in hand and her cat, Theo, close by.