Awards + Accolades

"As someone who has had 'Dr. V' for a couple classes and gone with her to Finland, I was really happy to see her get the distinguished faculty award," recent alumna of Findlandia University, Monica Freeman said. "She's hardworking and passionate about her field of study and classes. Her passion is so infectious and inspiring, and when I was a student it showed me that if you love what you do everything will work out."

Her professional memberships include the American Folklore Society, the Association of Critical Heritage Studies, and the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study. She is also an Honorary Fellow at the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been published six times, most recently as a co-editor of "The Making of Finland: The Time of the Grand Duchy" a Special Issue of Journal of Finnish Studies 21(1&2) in 2018.