Megan Simmermeyer earned her Master of Arts in English from Northern Kentucky University, and her Bachelor of Arts in English from Mount St. Joseph University prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh Composition PhD program. For both degrees, her theses focused on fantasy literature, her master’s centering specifically on the way female characters are represented within the fantasy genre, a representation which is often lacking in dimensionality.
From these initial degrees, and her experience teaching introductory college composition courses, Megan’s interests evolved to focus on developing student voice within academic writing. To her, teaching voice means recognizing the diversity of students and that their voices do not usually fit into the oft taught discourses in academia. She believes that students must first learn their voices, and listen to themselves, before they can become engaged members of their communities, regardless of their majors.