Kiera Eckhardt

Kiera Eckhardt is a 2024-2028 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Kansas. She graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a minor in Spanish. During her undergraduate studies, she served as Anthropology Club President and Social Chair of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. She was awarded the Seidler Undergraduate Scholarly Collaboration Fellowship, where she conducted a survey-based research project with Dr. Myra Mendible, analyzing perceptions of American identity in the United States with regard to language. She also served in Peace Corps Ecuador as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Volunteer, and with AmeriCorps VISTA as a Refugee Mentor Coordinator, executing the Florida Department of Children and Families Refugee Project. She graduated from Illinois State University with a Master of Science degree in Anthropology and Applied Community and Economic Development. During her graduate studies, she served as President of the Applied Community and Economic Development Student Association and member of the Graduate Student Council. She completed a professional practicum with the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, where she conducted qualitative interviews with formerly incarcerated persons and stakeholders of the Illinois criminal legal system, and assisted in quantitative data analyses of Illinois Department of Corrections data and Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) data that were reported to the Illinois House of Representatives, Senate, and Supreme Court during legislative sessions. She also assisted in the "Impact of Long-Term Prison Sentences" research project developed by Dr. Kathryn Bocanegra, and published her first paper entitled "Developing Qualitative Research Questions for Illinois Post-Release Prison Analysis." At the University of Kansas, she was awarded the Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Academic Year Fellowship to study Brazilian Portuguese, as well as the Tinker Field Research Grant through the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Currently, her research interests include refugee rights and perspectives of refugee service providers in Ecuador. Her long-term goal is to help those in need through policy advocacy research.

Mentor: Dr. Bartholomew Dean, Associate Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences Anthropology