Larissa Pitts

She is a dedicated educator, historian, and advocate with a deep commitment to student success, diversity, and community service, currently serving as Associate Professor at Quinnipiac University, where she develops a play-based and diverse curriculum in world and East Asian histories, advises students, and leads committees on Curriculum & Pedagogy and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She has won a $10,000 grant to implement a program in Korean food and culture as an Asian Studies development initiative and conducts scholarly research on modern Chinese history, presenting at national and international conferences. She also serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Connecticut CASA, mentoring and advocating for teenage girls under DCF care, including neurodivergent youth, runaway youth, and victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking. Prior to Quinnipiac, she served as Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at Austin College, where she developed courses in East Asian Studies and led study abroad programs. She holds a PhD in History from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Mount Holyoke College. She is recognized as a passionate, student-centered, and equity-focused educator and advocate who is deeply committed to fostering empathy, critical thinking, and meaningful change in the classroom and the community.