Professor Lauren Rea from the School of Languages and Cultures has been appointed MBE for services to education in Latin America and the UK in the King's Birthday Honours list.
Professor Rea’s work focuses on inclusive education in Latin America and is developed in partnership with colleagues from across academia, the educational sector and the Creative Industries.
Lauren co-directs the Great Latin American Women Project with Euhen Matarozzo, director of the children’s brand Billiken. This transmedia educational project offers resources for primary school teachers wishing to tackle the subject of gender equality in the classroom and is freely available at www.grandesmujeres.lat. The initiative has garnered international recognition, including in the global media content industry, with the project’s series of animated films selected as a finalist at the prestigious MipCom DiversifyTV awards. Lauren is currently developing a teacher network in Guatemala to co-create the next stage of the project’s training offer.
Lauren is also PI on the British Academy GCRF Tackling Global Challenges project “Diverse Childhoods and Educational Inequalities in Argentina” , working with academics and Indigenous teachers to co-produce educational resources which incorporate intercultural perspectives into the teaching of patriotic anniversaries (Efemérides interculturales).
Closer to home, Lauren is a trustee of the children's literacy charity Grimm & Co., based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
At the University of Sheffield, Lauren is Director of Research and Innovation for the School of Languages and Cultures and is on the leadership team of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development.
On her appointment as MBE, Professor Rea said:
‘I have the great privilege of working with inspiring groups and individuals from across the Latin American region and it’s wonderful to see our efforts recognised in this way. I am grateful for the support of the AHRC and British Academy who have funded my research and, of course, for the help and encouragement of my colleagues, friends and family.'
