By Stephy Mahoney | Reporter
Psychology lecturer and professor by day and ghost-buster by night, Dr. Cynthia Little follows a personal passion for researching the realm of paranormal activities while also teaching psychology classes at Baylor.
Austin graduate student Hannah Kaputaniuk is a research assistant for Little and said she has never had a professor like her.
“She’s funny and talks about the ghost hunting all the time in class,” Kaputaniuk said. “She is super personable and always happy to talk to us.”
Little’s activities aren’t limited to just ghost-hunting, though. She also does research on paranormal activity and communication with ghosts.
“Most recently, she worked with some other researchers to investigate communicating with ghosts in abandoned, sacred and normal spaces,” Kaputaniuk said.
Little’s passion for the supernatural began at a young age. Her current hobby has nearly always been a part of her life.
“It started when I was about 9 years old,” Little said. “I was one of those nerdy little kids who spent her lunchtime in the library reading real ghost stories.”
Little said she originally became fascinated with ghost stories when she opened her first story, Gef the Talking Mongoose.
“I immediately thought, ‘A talking animal, how cool!’” Little said. “That pretty much had me hooked … I really didn’t start doing ghost hunting or paranormal research until about 18 years ago when the ghost-hunting shows started.”
Although Little shares this passion for ghost hunting with some friends, no family members join her in this passion. Due to the stigma and culture, Little said that growing up, she kept her passion for ghosts to herself.
“I grew up in the church, and that type of stuff was really discouraged by the church,” Little said. “[They said] I shouldn’t be looking for ghosts and it’s demonic activity.”
According to a story from the Dr. Pepper Museum, many unusual things have occurred while Little was ghost hunting in the building. Doors have slammed closed and toilets have flushed on their own. Video recordings have shut off and zoomed in without being prompted.
Though she participates in spooky activities, Little said she doesn’t feel much fear because of her Christian faith.
“If there is a demon in the room, then who better than a child of God [to hunt it]?” Little said.
