CHSS Distinguished Alumni - Cultural Studies

Shauna Rigaud

PhD Cultural Studies '24

Shauna Rigaud is a cultural studies scholar whose work explores the intersections of race, gender, identity, and freedom within the Anglophone Caribbean. The child of Barbadian and Haitian parents, she describes herself as “Boston born, but Caribbean raised.” A first-generation college graduate, Rigaud began her academic journey at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she earned a BA in Afro-American History. She holds a dual master’s degree in gender/cultural studies and communication management from Simmons University and she completed her PhD in Cultural Studies from George Mason in 2024.  
 
Beginning in youth work as a young person herself, she has been a member on non-profit boards, facilitated trainings on youth voice and leadership in the nonprofit sector, and worked in coalition with youth and adults in Boston to increase funding for youth programs and jobs. Her passion for building community continued as a graduate student and she helped establish George Mason's Black Graduate Student Association. Her roles as a scholar activist: teaching, mentoring, developing experiential programs, and building community partnerships reflect her deep commitment to social change.  
 
Rigaud is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated and co-founder of Mayhem246, a concierge company that curates experiences for visitors to Barbados’ Crop Over Festival.