NTC Graduate Awarded Prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

This spring, Newcomb-Tulane College graduate Mia Harris received the highly coveted Knight-Hennessy scholarship, an award that covers three years of graduate studies at Stanford University. The scholarship is extremely competitive, with less than one percent of applicants receiving funding. Harris, who graduated in 2022 from the School of Liberal Arts with a bachelor's degree in English, Africana studies and political science, is the second Tulane student/graduate to receive this award and will leverage it to pursue a PhD in higher education at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education.

Harris’ interest in higher education can be traced back to her childhood. “As the daughter of a single mother who was the first in her family to graduate from college, I grew up with a clear understanding of the value of education and the structural barriers that continue to shape access and outcomes for Black students in higher education,” says Harris. “During my time as a student, I encountered some of these challenges firsthand, which prompted me to think more critically about how educational systems function and whom they serve.”

Harris first heard about the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program during her undergraduate years at Tulane through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Though she was considering law school at the time, Harris’ graduate studies and her current role as managing editor of the inaugural Journal of Black Language and Culture guided her back to the award.

“After completing my master’s degree at the University of Oxford, I read about the work of Dr. Anne Charity Hudley, whose research on Black language and student experiences in higher education resonated deeply with me,” says Harris. “I joined her lab at Stanford University as a research associate, where I spent two years studying Black language, experiences and equity in higher education. This work transformed my academic interests into a clear sense of purpose.”

As a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, Harris will extend and build upon her time in Dr. Charity Hudley’s lab. “Through this work, I will continue developing my current research projects while also taking on teaching and mentorship roles that directly engage with Stanford students,” says Harris. “I’m especially interested in how research, teaching and mentorship can work together to create more responsive and supportive academic environments at universities nationwide."

Later down the line, Harris hopes to become a leader in a university community. “I intend to be a faculty member, and, hopefully, a leader in higher education one day, whether that is as a dean, provost or university president,” says Harris. “I’m interested not only in producing research and teaching but also in shaping the institutions where that research lives and students learn.”