Dr. Layne is the true definition of a mentor. Throughout my academic career, I watched Dr. Layne continuously redefine what it means to be a role model. She pushed me to think beyond traditional boundaries, emphasizing the importance of research and other academic endeavors. Under her mentorship, I successfully completed a research project entitled “Resisting Erasure: Representations of the Fat, Black Woman in US Media.” Inspired by Dr. Layne’s passion for sharing her knowledge, I went on to present my findings at the National Council for Black Studies Conference in Miami, Florida, and at the Mico University Research Day in Kingston, Jamaica. Her passion and sense of enthusiasm for all of her academic undertakings is contagious! Her mentorship style is direct, honest, and organic. I had the pleasure of taking seven classes with Dr. Layne as an undergraduate and regard them as some of my most academically enlightening endeavors. Her unique mentoring style expands beyond the classroom and is sought after by her students and peers alike. She continuously motivates me to set the highest standards of success in my academic and professional undertakings and has demonstrated that if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. -- Raven B.

 

 

 

Before entering Dr. Layne's class, my critical thinking skills lacked the depth needed to fully understand a book’s message, its author and real world context.  She instilled in me that reading should change how you see yourself as well as the world around you.  I am able now to challenge a book and its message while applying it to a larger world context.  Through Dr. Layne's mentorship however, I have been able to truly find myself on a personal level.  Dr. Layne makes you question yourself and your beliefs by forcing you to confront your own privilege and position in the world. Her prison nation class opened my eyes to how detrimental the prison industrial complex has been to populations of color. As a result, I am no longer able to watch injustices within my community and remain silent.  Instead I constantly question the status quo and charge myself to think uniquely and act in a way that brings about solutions.  The biggest and unarguably most important lesson I have learned from working with Dr. Layne is that once you have been enlightened with a wealth of knowledge, it is your obligation it educate others.  By passing education on to others, we begin to change the status quo and create a world that is inclusive and engaging. -- Brittany A.