Iris Jeffries

Hi! My name is Iris Jeffries, and I grew up in Marquette, Michigan, as well as Charleston, South Carolina. I've been a Spanish teacher for seven years, a child development researcher for three years, and I also spent time working for the Tennessee Department of Education. I am currently a Ph.D. student studying how young children's interactions with adults influence their language and cognitive development. I am particularly interested in how rural contexts uniquely shape children's trajectories, given my own experience growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and time teaching in Eastern Kentucky Appalachia. I'm really interested in how we become who we are, and which factors support our best outcomes, both in the short- and long-term. Besides dedicating my time to my doctoral studies these days, I love reading for fun, singing, writing fiction, drawing, thrifting, spending time with my people, loving my black cat Binx, and all kinds of live music. I'm excited to meet you all and welcome you all to campus!