The Linguistics Department is thrilled to announce that Linguistics PhD candidate
Kelly E. Wright will become the first U-M linguist to be inducted into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.

All are invited to attend the Bouchet Honor Society Induction Celebration, to be held on Zoom from noon to 1:30 pm on Thursday,
March 25.

Link: https://sessions.studentlife.umich.edu/track/event/session/40548

Kelly is one of five people who will be inducted next Thursday. The 2021 Bouchet class also includes Maira A. Areguin (Women’s and Gender Studies and Psychology), Brooke E. Mason (Civil Engineering), Marissa M. Salazar (Psychology), and Chiamaka U. Ukachukwu (Pharmacology). 

During the induction celebration, all inductees will give a brief presentation of their research. Read more about Kelly’s research below, as presented on the Bouchet invitation:

Kelly Elizabeth Wright is a candidate for the Ph.D in linguistics with a concentration in experimental sociolinguistics at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on linguistic discrimination and its operation within our neurolinguistic system and across public institutions. Wright has been recognized as a Mellon Fellow in Publicly-Engaged Humanities, and received the Rackham Graduate School Scholar-Activist Award for her work on linguistic discrimination in the housing market. Wright received a B.A. in English literature from Maryville College and a master’s degree in linguistic theory and typology from the University of Kentucky, where she was a Royster Scholar. She continued to work fervently for language equality when she joined the University of Michigan by spearheading Language Matters, U-M’s linguistic diversity initiative. Today, she applies mixed methodologies—including neuroscience, ethnography, and machine learning—to understand the operation of dangerous language ideologies in the brain and in the world. Wright is a prolific public scholar, sharing widely her research about language discrimination and co-creating institutional solutions with international audiences and organizations. Ultimately, Wright aspires to be a lifelong educator, both in the classroom and by helping to unpack language stereotypes for various publics.

Congratulations, Kelly!