On the first day of the new semester, Megan Lease made history.
Megan defended her dissertation, “A Strong Woman of the Lord: Performing Gender at the Intersection of Sport and Evangelical Christianity,” making her the first student at KU to receive a PhD from the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. KU is one of only 14 programs in the United States that offer a PhD in Women’s Studies.
After her defense we were able to catch up with Megan to learn a little bit more about KU’s first Women’s Studies doctoral candidate.
Hometown: Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Undergraduate major: History
Tell us more about your dissertation: My dissertation examines how female Christian athletes negotiate various and sometimes competing gendered expectations as Christians, women, and athletes.
Finish this sentence: “”In five years, I’ll be… financially stable and able to go on a vacation that isn’t an academic conference.”
“My favorite KU memory is… sitting by the pond with someone special”
“I became a Jayhawk because… the faculty in my department were super supportive. ”
“I’m most proud of… getting my doctorate in 4 years.”
The best advice I ever got: Don’t waste time caring what other people think about you.
My guilty pleasure: pro-wrestling
My super power would be: super strength.
What was the last thing you read for fun? Disgrace by JM Coetzee
What inspires you? My partner.
What’s at the top of your bucket list? Get a dog.
What did you want to be when you were growing up? A medical doctor.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? Batista, Dolf Ziggler, and the Big Show (pro wrestlers)
