Senior exploring passion for community storytelling at Holle Center
Ansley Greer sits in her master’s-level autoethnography course, where she learns the nuances of analyzing people’s personal experiences to better understand broader societal issues.
Mastering this qualitative research method and its potential to enhance storytelling is key for Greer, a senior in the communication studies accelerated master’s program at The University of Alabama.
The course curriculum is interesting and engaging for Greer, whose service background in Tuscaloosa and law school ambitions align well with the class. But the course’s professor, Dr. Robin Boylorn, further enhances the learning experience with unique insights and inspiration, Greer said.
“I found my love for writing in that class,” Greer said. “Dr. Boylorn really focused on the way stories can connect people and build understanding across differences.”
Boylorn, the executive director of the Holle Center for Communication Arts as well as the Holle Endowed Chair of Communication Arts at UA, has given Greer greater influence and opportunities since their class in Spring 2025. Greer currently interns on the Holle Center’s narrative design team, a role instrumental to crafting a storyline to the center’s front-facing work, Boylorn said.