Akilah is a highly accomplished teacher and program director at UC Berkeley. She has served as a graduate student instructor and reader for a plethora of sociology courses including Introduction to Sociology, Culture and Social Mobility, Gender, Sexual Cultures, and Entrepreneurship. For ten semesters, she has taught, graded, and advised undergraduates for large lecture courses, small seminars, and professional development curriculums.
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From 2019 to 2022, Akilah served as an associate director of the Berkeley Summer Scholars Research Program on Race. Awarded a grant from the UC-HBCU Pipeline Initiative, distinguished Professor Dave Harding selected Akilah through a competitive process to design and implement all aspects of the summer program. Akilah organized, coordinated, and facilitated an inspiring, yet rigorous two-months of seminars, workshops, and panels. Over three years, 18 Black students from Spelman, Howard and Hampton were able to workshop their senior thesis prospectus with world renowned sociology faculty, gain professional insights, write statements for Ph.D. applications, and present at a campus wide conference. As a committed instructor and mentor, Akilah guided the development of their numerous research projects on race spanning the subfields of criminal justice, corporate practices, ethnic wars, film culture, religion, etc. After graduating, fellows went on to join top graduate programs, law schools, and careers with preparation to tackle racial inequality across multiple sectors. In 2022, Akilah leveraged her expertise to help write a grant for the Berkeley Social Sciences Division- HBCU Summer Research Internship and Mentorship Program.
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​In 2022 and 2023, Akilah was selected to serve as the director and lead graduate student instructor of the Berkeley Connect course in African American Studies and Ethnic Studies. She designed a curriculum to foster a sense of belonging for 160 freshmen to senior students across disciplines, racial-ethnic identities, socio-economic status, states/countries, ages, etc. Akilah intertwined teaching methods and theories in Sociology, African American Studies, and Ethnic Studies to guide students in exploring academic resources, expanding their professional network and achieve work/life balance. From 2023-2025, she has offered the same support, insights, and structure as a selected graduate student instructor for the Freshman and Transfer Connect summer courses. Whether at a small liberal arts HBCU or a large PWI, Akilah has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to assist undergraduates in adjusting to the rigors of higher education.
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​As a low income, first generation, Black woman, Akilah has been devoted to promoting equal opportunity in the Department of Sociology. She was selected to conduct a series of professional development workshops for underrepresented students. In 2023, she served as a Sociology Department Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Community Building Fellow. On a team of curriculum analysts and policy researchers, Akilah planned and orchestrated activities that allowed graduate students and faculty to bond, network, and support each other in research endeavors, academic service, and critical dialogues about current events.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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