Meet Aya Waller-Bey.
TGS DET MEMBER SINCE 2021
Meet Aya Waller-Bey.
| Aya M. Waller-Bey is a proud Detroiter and Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of Michigan, where she also received her M.A. in Sociology in 2021. She is a college admissions and higher education scholar, consultant, and thought leader. For undergrad, Aya attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., majoring in Sociology, graduating Cum Laude. In 2015, she was awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to the University of Cambridge in England—a scholarship awarded to only 40 people in the U.S. each year—and completed her Master of Philosophy in Education. Aya has shared her insights on postsecondary access, diversity, and inclusion in op-eds in Forbes, Huffington Post U.K., University World News, and the 2016 White House Summit for Advancing Postsecondary Diversity and Inclusion. Her leadership and research have also been highlighted in a PBS Newshour special and the Cambridge Alumni Magazine, the Washington Post, and the University World News. Aya’s research on trauma narratives in college essays has also received national and local praise. In 2020, Aya was selected as a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship awardee—a prestigious fellowship awarded by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine aimed to increase the diversity of the national college and university professoriate. Aya has presented her research at symposiums at the University of Michigan and at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She has also been invited to give talks at the Aspen Center of Physics, the 2022 frank gathering organized by the University of Florida Center for Public Interests Communication, and the 2022 Creating Connections Consortium Summit. Aya serves on the Georgetown Alumni Club of Detroit board. She is also a member of both BasBlue and the Founder Juniors Council at the Detroit Institute of Arts. |
GET TO KNOW AYA.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TGS?
Community is at the core of all the work I do, and I believe it is also the heart of TGS and one of the primary reasons, “why we gather.” I love TGS because it underpins my hope and vision for the future – spaces where Black professionals, creatives, thinkers, activities, storytellers, and change agents can come together to network, share ideas, spread joy, and ultimately thrive. I love that TGS is community-centered and community-powered.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR MANTRA?
“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” Author Unknown
when you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Oprah with a Ph.D.
ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF:
Tenacious
You can connect with Aya via LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.