Kimya Loder, a sociology and international studies major, was one of Spelman's class of 2018 top 10 graduates. The Birmingham, Alabama native said she chose to attend Spelman because she knew that as a Black woman, there was no other place on earth that could train her to be the socially conscious, global-minded citizen that she aspired to become.
As a Bonner Scholar and Social Justice Fellow who maintained a cumulative 3.89 grade point average, Loder's academic experience has been enhanced by a commitment to social justice and civic engagement. She worked as an advocacy intern for the Atlanta Community Food Bank and a human rights program intern for The Carter Center. After receiving her certification in philanthropic management, Loder advanced her journey in sustainable development and founded Children’s Village Market, which is a student organization dedicated to tackling the issue of child hunger in the West End community of Atlanta.
Loder has received a number of honors and awards including being a member of the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors program, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Beta Delta, and designation as a Bonner Scholar, WEL Scholar and Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. After graduation, she will plans to purse her Ph.D. in sociology at Stanford University.
She is broadly interested in race, youth, civic engagement, and social movements. Last summer, her research examined the contributions of Black youth activists to the democratic transition of Tunisia, post-Tunisian Revolution of 2010.
I ultimately hope to use my creativity, research, and leadership skills to develop innovative ways to teach the 21st century student to be civically engaged and tackle 21st century problems.