Sydney Graham is a doctoral student specializing in organizational communication. Her research interests include stigma, identity, and gender in both organizational and occupational contexts. Sydney’s previous research explored identity narratives of legal sex workers in the state of Nevada and focused on topics of identity fragmentation and overlap, concealment and disclosure, and agency. Her current research investigates tensions of job precarity, intersecting occupational, organizational, and industry stigma, and the relationship between organizational policies and social discourses. She has co-authored several book chapters and presented many of these works at national and international communication conferences including the National Communication Association (NCA) and Central States Communication Association (CSCA) conferences as well as the international conference, “Prostitution in Nevada and the Basque Country.”   

Sydney is currently a teaching assistant for COMM 3575W Business and Professional Communication and previously taught COMM 1200 Public Speaking as the instructor of record. In 2023, Sydney was awarded the Writing Intensive Teaching Excellence Award by the University of Missouri Campus Writing Program and the Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award as voted on by the Association of Communication Graduate Students.  

Outside of research and teaching, Sydney currently serves as the Vice President of the Association of Communication Graduate Students and chair of the Policies and Procedures Committee.  

Regarding professional experience, in 2023, Sydney served as a Summer Communications Associate for Heart of Missouri United Way. In this position, she interviewed nonprofit agency partners and drafted communications for the organization’s website and newsletter. Prior to beginning the doctoral program at Mizzou, Sydney worked in communications and social media for a private museum in Washington, D.C.