Leonora Souza Paula, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Michigan State University, was named to the 2025-2026 Cohort of Engaged Scholars selected by Campus Compact, a nationally recognized nonprofit that strives to strengthen partnerships between higher education institutions and communities.
This yearlong leadership and professional development program is designed to deepen community-engaged scholarship. Participants were selected for their commitment to expanding access and opportunities in civic and community engagement across their respective fields.
Paula joins 17 other engaged scholars from 18 institutions in the 2025-2026 cohort, including Maggie Williams, Assistant Professor in the College of Engineering at Michigan State University.
“Dr. Paula and Dr. Williams are exceptional representatives of Michigan State’s dedication to fostering meaningful partnerships between the university and communities,” said MSU Provost Laura Lee McIntyre. “Their selection for the Engaged Scholars Initiative reflects their focus on creating positive change alongside the communities they serve, and we’re proud to support them in their mission to advance community-engaged scholarship.”
Over the course of the academic year, the Engaged Scholars will take part in both virtual and in-person meetings, along with collaborative scholarly projects that expand their own critical community-engaged scholarship. The program aims to enhance individual and collective scholarship, research, and impact, while supporting participants to lead change within their institutions and communities.
“Each year, our Engaged Scholars learn with and from each other, engage in scholarship production, and connect in collaborative ways that contribute to their own individual leadership and the growth of the field of higher education civic and community engagement,” said Nicole Springer, Vice President of Professional Development and Inclusive Excellence at Campus Compact. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this group progresses over the next year as they engage in this transformative process.”
Through her teaching, scholarship, and leadership, Paula bridges the gap between academic research and public engagement, advancing the global conversation on equity, cultural preservation, and reparative justice.
“I work at the nexus of academic scholarship, public humanities, and applied feminist practice. It is great to have this work recognized and celebrated by such an important organization.”
Dr. Leonora Souza Paula
“My community engagement work is both global and intersectional,” Paula said. “I work at the nexus of academic scholarship, public humanities, and applied feminist practice. It is great to have this work recognized and celebrated by such an important organization.”
Paula specializes in Literary Studies and Latin American Studies, with a focus on intersections of race, gender, urban culture, and memory in contemporary Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Diasporic culture. Her research examines the Black spatial imagination, exploring its transformative role in reclaiming literature and cultural expression as tools for heritage preservation and epistemic reparation.
She is the co-founder of the Black Women Shaping AfroFutures and the Sister Circle Mentoring Program for Women of Color. She also is a Fellow of Vital Voices Global Partnership, the Research Institute for Structural Change, the Human Rights Center at the University of California Berkeley School of Law, and the American Council of Learned Societies.
Through her interdisciplinary work, Paula continues to shape critical discussions at the intersections of literature, culture, and the impact of the public humanities in international collaboration, inspiring academic and non-academic audiences worldwide. Her work reflects her leadership in advancing scholarship of impact.
In recognition of her exceptional global public engagement work, she was honored with the 2024 Michigan State University GenCen Inspiration Award. This award highlights her commitment to addressing critical racial justice issues and her accountability to the communities with which she collaborates.
She also received a 2025 Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and inclusion Award in recognition of her exceptional and innovative contributions that advance excellence and belonging at Michigan State University through her teaching, research, programming, service, community outreach, and/or organizational change.
By Kim Popiolek and Emily Springer
