Mya Haynes

Mya Haynes (she/her) is a Ph.D. candidate and Provost's Fellow studying Education with a concentration in Higher Education at the University of Southern California. She is also a Research Assistant at the Race and Equity Center and the Pullias Center for Higher Education. As an emerging scholar in qualitative and mixed methods research, Mya draws on insights from higher education policy, psychology, sociology, and critical studies to inform her work. Through her application of critical theories of race, identity safety, and institutional climates, Mya’s work grapples with how broader sociopolitical contexts and policy shifts inform students’ experiences on campus. While students are the central focus of her scholarship, Mya cares deeply about issues of race and equity in higher education more broadly, highlighting how race, racism, and racial disparities shape access and success for marginalized students, faculty, and staff. 

Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Mya worked as a Senior Analyst at Ithaka S+R, managing an annual data collection for over 130 American Talent Initiative member institutions focused on expanding student access and conducting research on institutional borrowing patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mya earned a BA in Sociology and MA in Higher Education with a concentration in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, where she was a Rackham Merit Fellow.

USC PhD Provost's Fellowship