GRAMBLING, La. | Grambling State bowling student-athlete, Alexandria Williams, will be participating in the UCLA Pathway to PhD program this summer hosted by the University of California, Los Angeles. Williams, a freshman history major, will have the opportunity to take advanced courses specific to Ancient Egyptian, North African and Western Asian Studies at UCLA.

The Pathway to PhD Program is an eight-week summer course that aims to bring young scholars of color to UCLA to combine traditional Egyptological research with complex perspectives and approaches. The program also includes a total of four days set aside for travel, and students will attend workshops on graduate school preparation. Upon the conclusion of the program, Williams will be guided through the creation of an extremely competitive research paper on a topic of her choice. She will have the opportunity to share the research with peers, faculty and students at UCLA.  

"I feel very nervous about my upcoming summer internship," said Williams. "I am extremely excited to learn about the Ancient Egyptian culture from the language to the art, history and religion."

During the program, Williams will also be able to explore the Los Angeles area and be admitted into museums and special events. Once the program is successfully completed, she will have received 12 quarter credits on a UCLA transcript, and she will be mentored by superiors who will assist her with graduate school applications, conference submissions and further research.

"Alexandria is an extremely prestigious young lady in the classroom and she has shown many times in her very early college matriculation that she prioritizes her academics, as well as her future," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. Trayvean Scott. "We are excited to see her continued academic success." 

The ultimate goal of this experience is to prepare students to enter PhD programs and work their way up to full-time positions as tenure-track professors, museum curators or higher education administrators. The program begins on June 21, 2022, and ends on August 12, 2022, with June 19-20 and August 13-14 as travel days.

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