Vernita Burrell earned her bachelor’s degree from Hunter College, as well as a master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and a PhD in English from Fordham University. Her dissertation, “The Ambiguities of Abolition: Pro-and Anti-Slavery Writings, 1757–1824,” focuses on the nuances and complexities about slavery and abolition that go beyond the conventional binary pro-and anti-slavery arguments within eighteenth-century slavery discourse. Her primary interests have always been connected to teaching, and she has experience teaching at a range of institutions. Her academic training is informed by her deep experience and appreciation for musical theater—she had a successful ten-year run as an actress doing summer stock, tours, and musicals across the United States.