Soraya Cipolla (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in Italian Studies and Queer Studies. She is originally from Sicily, where she earned her bachelor's degree in "Lettere Moderne." At the University of Catania, she graduated with a thesis on teaching Italian as a second language based on her experience as a teaching assistant in an elementary school. In this work, she shows how to create activities that foster diversity and inclusion within multicultural classrooms. Soraya also lived in Tuscany, where she earned her Master's in "Linguistics and Communication" with a thesis on the mediatic representation of Immigration in the Mediterranean.

Her research focuses on LGBTQIA+ representation in 20th and 21st-century Italian literature and cinema. Her dissertation “Queer Specters: Sapphic Desire in Italian Literature and Cinema (1980 – 2023)” argues that sapphic desire haunts 20th and 21st-century Italian literature and cinema. Like a ghost, sapphic desire is often unseen but leaves traces. It frequently appears in ghostly or monstrous forms, and by examining these tropes, we can better understand their interaction with other power dynamics, such as class and race. These ghosts are queer as they occupy an in-between space and engage with oppressive forces in non-linear ways. This work engages with different Italian authors including Sibilla Aleramo, Goliarda Sapienza, Fausta Cialente, Alba De Céspedes, Igiaba Scego and Elena Stancanelli. To investigate sapphic cinema Soraya uses various archives sources and mainstream cinematic work such as Lina Wertmüller Softly softly. 

Soraya’s interests include as well gender identity exploration within contemporary Italian language and literature, gender-inclusive language in the classroom, and inclusive pedagogy. In her free time, she loves taking care of her plants, embroidering feminist slogans, and cooking.