KJ LeFave

My name is KJ and I use she/her pronouns. I grew up as a Euro-American settler in unceded Hoocąk territory near Teejop (Madison), very close to Sahu Xetera (?) (Lake Waubesa) . I graduated with a BA in history with certificates in African American Studies and American Indian & Indigenous studies from UW-Madison in December 2023. While at UW, I was part of the honors program, which allowed me to write a thesis on the gendered politics of citation of Ojibwe women in the works of their Euro-American husbands in the 18th-19th century Northern Great Lakes.

I am currently in the process of applying to grad schools to keep researching this topic, and it is something I am very passionate about and enjoy doing. I’ve held other historical research positions with UW-Madison through the Nonviolence Project and Center for Campus History, and am just overall a huge, lifelong history nerd that loves to geek out on research! Outside of work and school, I love to spend time outside hiking and backpacking in the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin state parks. I also love to read, listen to jazz, drink coffee, and hangout with my family, friends, and Salem – my cat! Can’t wait to meet everyone and begin working together to tackle such important work!