Bio:

Elena Keogh was drawn to an interdisciplinary field of Stage and Production management and Global studies because she has a passion for storytelling. Through the study of humanities and the arts in conjunction, she has witnessed first hand storytelling’s unique role in strengthening the community as a tool to inform, inspire, and entertain. Through storytelling, Elena is curious to understand how we can transcend global barriers and develop a deeper understanding of how an individual’s culture and background shape their experiences in the world, specifically in the field of education. She is an advocate for cooperative, democratic education and recently completed a senior capstone research project largely based on bell hook’s book, Teaching to Transgress. Through this project, she assesses various educational models and advocates for community-based education that works to teach students how to transgress various cultural, racial, economic, and gendered barriers that are present in society for the purpose of creating greater freedom for all. She argues that one way to accomplish this is through utilizing public-facing ethnomusicology. She believes education to be the most important social tool. 

She has worked as an educator in public schools and artistic settings, which have taught her about the importance of teaching students, especially young students, how to express themselves as individuals and how to channel that self-expression into the community. Her ultimate goal in her career is to serve the community. Her other research interests include arts education, educational policy, womens and gender studies, and journalism. 

She serves as the hiking chair of the CMU Explorers Club, where her responsibilities include gear maintenance, budgeting, and trip planning. She has a natural ability to bring people together around a common goal. 

In her free time can be found hiking, taking photographs, or at any venue where live music is being played.