Akilah has had the pleasure of teaching, mentoring, and serving over 300 undergraduates through courses, programs, and professional workshops at UC Berkeley. She served as a graduate student instructor and reader for various sociology courses including Introduction to Sociology, Culture and Social Mobility, Gender, Sexual Cultures, and Entrepreneurship. For many years, she taught, graded, and advised undergraduates for courses ranging from large lectures to small seminars.
Under the UC-HBCU Pipeline Initiative, Akilah served as the associate director of the Berkeley Summer Scholars Research Program on Race for three years. She collaborated with the Distinguished Professor Dave Harding to organize, coordinate, and execute a rigorous, yet inspiring program. She directed three cohorts of Spelman, Howard, and Hampton students to workshop their senior theses with renowned sociologists, gain professional insights, complete graduate school applications, and present at a campus-wide conference. As a committed instructor and mentor, Akilah guided fellows to develop research projects on race spanning the subfields of criminal justice, corporate practices, ethnic wars, film culture, religion, etc. Once the program concluded, Akilah leveraged her insights to help write a grant for the campus-wide Berkeley Social Sciences Division- HBCU Summer Research Internship and Mentorship Program.
As the director and lead graduate student instructor of the Berkeley Connect course in African American Studies and Ethnic Studies, Akilah designed and implemented an equity-centered course for 160 students. Akilah intertwined teaching methods and theories in Sociology, African American Studies, and Ethnic Studies to guide students in building community while navigating challenges at Berkeley. This diverse community bonded over personal stories as she directed them to explore academic resources, pursue career opportunities, expand their social network and achieve a work/life balance. In her following role as the graduate student instructor for the Freshman and Transfer Summer Connect courses for three years, Akilah enhanced and utilize this model of support, insights, and structure. 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.
As a low income, first generation college student, and Black woman, Akilah has been devoted to promoting equal opportunity in the Department of Sociology at Cal. She conducted a series of professional development workshops for underrepresented students. Furthermore, she served as a Sociology Department Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Community Building Fellow. In her role, Akilah orchestrated opportunities for graduate students and faculty bond, network, and support each other in research endeavors, academic service, and critical dialogues about current events.
