Department of English

Gina Hurley

Gina Marie Hurley (’11) received an MA in English from Purdue University in 2013. She is currently a PhD Student in Medieval Studies at Yale, where she focuses on geography and hagiography in Middle English literature. While completing her English degree at UNCG, Gina took full advantage of disciplinary honors to take a graduate course with Christopher Hodgkins and independent studies with Jennifer Whitaker and Denise Baker. It was by tackling larger research projects in these courses that Gina realized her desire to continue her studies at the PhD level, and her pedagogical training to become a Writing Center consultant only confirmed her interest in entering academia. Her semester abroad, during which she studied English at Trinity College Carmarthen (now Trinity St. David’s), was crucial in developing her specific research interest in geography in literature. Gina has presented at several international conferences, including the George Herbert Society, the New Chaucer Society, and the International Medieval Congress (IMC). She has also organized panels at the IMC for three consecutive years. By far, the most helpful preparation she received at UNCG for her graduate education was the one-on-one attention and advice from her professors.