Kelly Lu-Yanez

Kelly Lu-Yanez is a PhD candidate in American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has previously received her BA from the University of California at Berkeley with a double major in Anthropology and American Studies and a minor in Medieval Studies, and her MA in American Studies from Columbia University. Before beginning work on her PhD, Kelly taught at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu under the Early College and He Paepae Aloha programs as a lecturer for History. At the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she has taught AMST202: Culture and the Arts and AMST451: Popular Culture. Her main research interests include popular culture, film, video games, and the Internet, as well as the emotional connections people make with fictional worlds and characters, particularly in regards to embodiment, attachment, and identity.