Student Profiles

Santoya Fields is a Master’s student in Africana Studies. Her past research concentrated primarily on the comparative analysis of Black diasporic conditions in postcolonial societies. This pursuit led to study abroad in Paris where she researched Black French Thought before and after Decolonization, and in London where she evaluated US vs UK policing practices past and present. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in African American Studies. Santoya achieved the highest departmental honors for her research thesis connecting historic US legislation to modern trials of Black women. While earning her bachelor’s, Santoya completed a Law Fellowship at the UCLA School of Law and served as a research assistant for the Bio Critical Studies Lab, analyzing autopsies and reports of individuals who died in police-custody. Santoya joins NYU’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis as a Dean’s Master Scholar. Her current research interests include the intersection of Law and Black Studies, with focus on Black Gender studies, Black Culture, and Black Indigeneity. Santoya is pre-law and currently works as a Court Advocate for an Alternative to Incarceration program out of Manhattan Criminal Court. She is a surviving descendant of Africans enslaved in the US, and the granddaughter of Gullah Geechee sharecroppers.

Zach Gillespie is a driven and intellectually curious scholar who has embarked on an academic journey focused on unraveling the complexities of social justice and equity. As a Native of Harlem, New York, he brings a deep understanding of urban communities and their dynamics to his studies. Currently in his first year of pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Africana Studies, Zach’s academic pursuits are a natural extension of his passion for advocating change and addressing systematic inequalities.

Zach’s academic foundation was laid at NYU, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies. His commitment to academic excellence is evident in his involvement with the NYU Prison Education Program Research Lab.In this role, he engages in research that focuses on shedding light on the financial burdens faced by families who support incarcerated loved ones, highlighting the far-reaching implications of the criminal justice system on communities.

With his unique blend of academic acumen, lived experience, and passion for social justice Zach is poised to contribute significantly to the field of Africana Studies and the broader discourse on equality and social justice.

Aisha Popenoe is a Master’s student in Africana Studies. In 2022, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative American Studies with a concentration in Identity and Diversity from Oberlin College. Her senior capstone explored Black women’s narratives on medical crowdfunding platforms and how they engage with prevailing notions of deservingness in healthcare. She is interested in Black women’s relationship to digital technology, particularly how Black transgender women use the web as a tool for self-making, to build community, and ultimately improve health outcomes. She is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Farhat Ali is a Master's student in Africana Studies. This past spring, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Women and Gender studies as well as a Minor in Socio-Legal Studies. Previously, she served as a research assistant for FROGS (Feminist Research in Gender and Sexuality) and in 2019, created The Period Project - a program that supports menstrual equity and accessible health education for women in East Africa. Her passions include menstrual health education and accessibility and literature surrounding Black feminist theory. She hopes to explore Black diasporic thought, Black women’s citational politics and Black women’s foundations in linguistic and intellectual history. In her free time, Farhat is an avid reader and street photographer. 

Emeka Ochiagha is a Master's student in Africana Studies. He earned a Media Studies degree from Pitzer College, concentrating on both film production and the visual epistemologies of the African diaspora. He intends to continue working within Black Visual Culture, academically and creatively. He hopes to continue the legacy of deconstructing the white supremacist, cisheteronormative, biodeterminist notions that were inherent within the hegemonic gaze. Emeka's interest also includes unpacking narrative themes that define Nigerian's past and contemporary life. He would like to situate his homeland within its postcolonial/neocolonial framework, to understand it, and develop an eye to depict it with grace, nuance, and dignity.

Jana Ralph is a Master's student in Africana Studies. She received her BA in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Education from the nation’s first HBCU, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania in 2022. Her thesis explored the achievement gap in American education as a microcosm of the inequalities present within historically oppressive institutions. Jana’s current research interests include critical theory and understanding issues of identity in Black Americans through digital culture.

Imari Symone Williams is a Master's student in Africana Studies. Eight years ago, she graduated from Hampton University where she received her BA in Broadcast Journalism and a minor specialization in Criminology. Post-graduation, she has immersed herself in the criminal justice system. While working as a reporter for Homicide Watch D.C., she tracked and covered homicide cases from crime, dismissal, acquittal, and conviction. She currently works at the Legal Aid Society as a criminal defense investigator. Her current research interests are womanism, gender and sexuality and how integral these movements are in the fight for criminal justice and an abolitionist mindset. Additionally, she's interested in Black literature and archiving Black life in America. She'd like to eventually expand this to a career in academia, the museum industry or a cultural organization.

Below is her favorite quote.
"To a new era of understanding and action rooted in honest, open, and sometimes painful talk between people." -Sister Souljah