Home Country: USA
Pronouns: she/her/they
Program: History
University: Saint Louis University, The University of Chicago
Languages: English, Spanish, Kiswahili, French

Mariah A-K Bender is a first-year Ph.D. student in the field of History, and a secondary field of Religious Studies at Rice University. Mariah graduated with an MA in Humanities from the University of Chicago where her research focused on the role of West Central African religious practices in Haitian Vodou. Her research explores the intersection of African traditional religion in the statemaking practices in the Atlantic World in the eighteenth century. Her research methodologies incorporate critical theory, Black womanist theology, and transnational identity formation. She earned her BA in History and Education from Saint Louis University where her senior thesis analyzed the American repression of the Haitian economy in the period following its independence. Mariah is a former high school history educator, who taught both internationally and nationally with secondary students. She has presented her work in National Council for Black Studies, American Educational Research Education.

On Rice/Houston:

I love that Rice has so many centers for international engagement and collaboration. Houston has a wonderful museum scene.

On Fulbright:

I love how Fulbright has fostered so much about global understanding and connection.

Fun Fact:

I love weightlifting and compete with a team!