Teaching Reviews
Aside from the formal documentation of my teaching reflections, this page is dedicated to personal student reflections on their experiences in my courses—what challenged them, what supported their learning, and how they engaged with course material, performance practices, and critical inquiry.
Students are invited to share comments here to help document the impact of my teaching and mentorship.
In Fall 2025, representatives from Xavier's CAT + FD office visited two different courses for mid-semester evaluations. I want to highlight a letter received from Dr. Mark Gstohl after visiting "Women's Narratives." Additionally, here are the handwritten student reflections from "Women in the Media."
Two colleagues in my field also wrote letters commenting on my pedagogical and performance skills, which resonate well with diverse groups of students after being invited to speak at various events. One letter is written by Dr. Andrea M. Baldwin (now Associate Professor at Texas A&M University), and the other is written by Dr. Evan Schares (Assistant Professor at Villanova University).
Ielle Abram
"Thank you so much for all the grace and support you have given me this semester."
Kylie Vignaud, '25
"Your class and tutorship have helped me understand how to interpret dense texts with ease, something I thought would be really difficult for me as a STEM major."
Kennedy Day
"I really enjoyed your class and having you as a professor. You have definitely influenced me to consider more woman studies and performance classes in the future."
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Dr. Oliver is such an amazing professor! I took her XCOR 1012: Performing New Orleans course, and I loved how she made the class so interactive and fun. She is excellent at communication and very approachable, making it easy to talk to her. She allowed me to channel my creativity and pushed me to strive for better. Through her guidance, I have reclaimed my love for art and returned to my old hobbies of painting, drawing, and various DIY projects. The group assignments in the class also helped me step outside of my comfort zone and improve my teamwork skills.
Dr. Oliver's Women in the Media course was the first Women's Studies course that I have engaged in at Xavier, and it was such a transformative experience for me! In this course, Dr. Oliver critiqued and challenged my ways of thinking as she recognized how stimulating it was to my growth in progressing towards authentic work within and outside of her course. Moreos, she encouraged me to explore my ideas while also pushing me to research and comprehend the process and work required for graduate-level thinking, writing, and media production necessary to efficiently present my academic and creative visions. Dr. Oliver introduced the class to different ways of viewing and perceiving the works of Black literature and readings and analysis of notable Black women like bell hooks' "All about Love: New Visions" (1999), Ashleigh Green Wades' "Black Girl Autopoetics: Agency in Everyday Digital Practice" (2023), and Alice Walker's "In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose" (1983) in addition to utilizing the History Makers Digital Archive and visual and video media such as the "Black Barbie: A Documentary" (2023), assessable on Netflix's digital streaming platform, to understand and analyze how women, specifically Black women are portrayed within the media and displayed on different media platforms and how I, as an emerging Black scholar, Black woman, and observer of the media, can be consciously and intentionally aware to resist and erase the historically ingrained racial stereotypes and depictions of Black women in order to humanize their experiences and existence. I extend my gratitude for Dr. Oliver and the culturally responsive, educational, and collegiate structure that she brings to Xavier!
During the last two years of my undergraduate experience, I was privileged to take two classes with Dr. Oliver. The first, Site-Specific Performance, began as a course I took to fulfill a requirement; however, with her guidance, it quickly became one of my favorite classes that semester. Dr. Oliver has a unique ability to bring reserved students, such as myself, out of their shell by learning and listening to what each student is passionate about, offering thoughtful advice on how to elevate each performance, demonstrating examples through her own skills, and creating a safe, supportive space for creativity and fun. By the end of the course, I felt significantly more confident not only in performing and public speaking, but also in expressing my creativity in professional and everyday interactions.
When the second class, Performance Composition, came around, I was able to integrate all of the skills she had taught me into a larger, more cohesive performance. Throughout the development of the final project, Dr. Oliver consistently made herself available, offering attentive listening and insightful feedback when needed, while also encouraging me to think independently about the work I wanted to create. Dr. Oliver is one of the best professors I had the privilege of learning from during my time at Xavier.
Dr. Oliver’s passion for teaching and performance studies has transformed so many students lives, including my own. She encourages all of her students to perform with a confidence that we’re able to carry outside of her classroom. Through her mentoring, I gained a love for performance studies that I never knew I had and the confidence to express myself creatively and in my everyday life.
As a shy person, Dr. Oliver taught me valuable tools that I can apply in my daily life. During my first year of college, we had a project where we had to perform a poem. I was so scared that I doubted my ability to do it. However, with Dr. Oliver’s assistance, she helped me overcome my fear of performing in front of the class. She provided me with helpful tips and patiently guided me as we practiced together. The impact she had on my life was profound; she taught me to not overthink and to have confidence in myself. I appreciate her for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. I love her spirit; she is very honest and kind. I believe that God put people in my life for a reason, and she is one of them.
Dr. Oliver is easily one of my favorite professors on campus. She is so lively and fun to talk to. She is also incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. I always tell fellow students take her classes if they can!
Dr.Oliver was an amazing professor. The content we read for class was engaging and was tailored to our interests. Being a mass comm major, classes with Dr.Oliver allowed me to be more intentional in my work and goal of broadcast. Performance studies has allowed me to look at life from a different lens and understand why certain things are used to convey emotions, messages, and the effects. One of my favorite parts of class was preforming our poems and the feedback from her and our classmates. These discussion based and performance based classes were very refreshing and made me excited for class each week. Overall Dr.Oliver has a great knowledge base and ability to engage an entire classroom. She is a great resource for XULA and helping students gain confidence and explore performance. I would rate 5/5 stars and then some as words can't express how much I enjoyed learning while in her classes!
Dr. Oliver is a great teacher! She does an excelent job of being personable and creating spaces for students to be heavily engaged in her ocurse. Her course material is something that I truly admire. The way that she intersects the serious topics withing her courses, with the literature and engaging project that she assigns is something very refreshing. Her teaching style made me want to continue taking her for future courses. I appreciate her persective on topics like love and the way that she intersects them with also being black in black spaces and spaces that are not black.
Dr. Oliver has taught me the value of performance and how I can show up authentically in the spaces I get to create with the resources I have. Not only is she knowledgable about the courses she teaches, she also encourages further inquiry by recommending books, shows, and plays for students to develop a deeper understanding of the material at hand. With her creativity and wit, Dr. Oliver is truly a dynamic professor dedicated to elevating her classroom culture and revolutionizing what it means to be a performer.
Truly one of the best teachers I’ve had! She’s very honest and mindful of everyone and everything. And she’s always been there for me. I loved her teaching style so much I took her class again!!