Izzy Alexander is a first-year M.A. candidate in the Rhetoric, Writing, & Linguistics program. She earned her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and graduated as one of ten Torchbearers—seniors awarded Tennessee’s highest undergraduate honor for their exemplary leadership and service to the campus and community. Her research interests explore the intersection of cultural and political rhetorics; she hopes to research the causes and effects of political communication to contribute to the field of civic education in the United States. Izzy was recently awarded the Anne Hight Gore Best Thesis award for her undergraduate thesis on the rhetorical and political context of the 1961 construction of the Berlin Wall. When she’s not reading, writing, or researching, Izzy plays rugby with the University of Tennessee’s women’s rugby club, the Knoxville Minx, and two select teams representing the Southeast United States nationally and internationally. She also loves hiking, biking, and driving through the Smoky Mountains.