Current Conyers Scholars (Residential)
Raphael Abayateye is a PhD student in Public Health, with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Health, at Baylor University’s Robbins College. Originally from Ghana, he holds a BA in Economics from the University of Ghana and an MPH in Global Health from Vanderbilt University. His research centers on health systems and policy, with a particular focus on women’s cancer prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining Baylor, Raphael served as a program manager at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he led equity-driven initiatives at the intersection of health policy and education. He now serves as Assistant Director for Global Engagement at Baylor. Beyond academia, he enjoys cooking, mentoring emerging scholars, and traveling with his family.
James Howard is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Department of History at Baylor University. He received his B.A. and M.A. in US History from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His research focuses on abolitionism and religion in antebellum America. Besides his interest in abolitionism, other research fields include the history of childhood and youth and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. He is also the assistant book review editor for the Journal of Church and State. When James is not reading or writing, he can be found on the trails running or riding his bike as well as he also enjoys spending much cherished time with his wife, daughter, and son.
Jackson McNeece is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Religion Department, with a focus on bioethics. His academic interests include disability ethics, theological bioethics, clinical bioethics, and questions surrounding death. Before coming to Baylor, Jackson earned a master’s degree in theology from Duke University, concentrating in theology, medicine, and culture. He also holds a B.A. in Medical Humanities from Baylor University. Outside of academics, Jackson enjoys running, reading—especially long-form journalism—and eating ice cream. His current favorite ice cream shop in Waco is Helados La Azteca.
Micah Mitchell is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Studies and Leadership. A Colorado native, he earned a B.A. in English with a minor in Christian Ministry from Sterling College (Kansas), followed by an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Baylor University. Micah’s research centers on technical colleges, with a particular focus on student development, student experiences, and the core values of these institutions. He brings a diverse background to his work in higher education, including experience in international teaching, admissions counseling, academic advising, community engagement, and residence life. Outside of his academic work, Micah enjoys playing soccer and biking, exploring new experiences with friends, and spending quality time with his wife, Pacey.
Pacey Ham Mitchell is a PhD candidate in Higher Education Studies and Leadership, where she researches how faith communities and faith-based institutions shape women’s perceptions of and experiences in leadership roles on and off campus. Pacey holds an MSEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Baylor University and a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and Poetry from the University of Houston Honors College. She has worked in university admissions, engineering and computer science, and campus spiritual life. As a research assistant, she contributes to projects on food insecurity, transitions to the sophomore year, and an NSF-funded study redefining risk and success for low-income STEM students. In her free time, she enjoys reading curled up with her cat, Linus, cooking for friends, and spending time with her husband, Micah, and her family.
Claire Thompson Mummert is a third-year Hebrew Bible/Old Testament PhD candidate in the Religion Department. She obtained a BA in Speech Communication from the University of Texas A&M (2009), an MDiv with concentrations in Biblical Languages and Youth Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2013), and a ThM in Old Testament from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2022). Before coming to Baylor, she taught World Religions, Religion and Film, Hebrew I, and Indigenous Spirituality at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas though she has an extensive background in writing curriculum and teaching in a variety of ministry contexts. Claire’s research interests include textual criticism, feminist/womanist criticism, archaeology, and compositional practices in Judges and Second Temple Judaism.
Fatih Ozkan is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Psychology at Baylor University. His research focuses on advancing quantitative methods to educational outcomes. Fatih’s research seeks to develop new methods for evaluating learning processes, educational interventions, and fairness—particularly Bayesian hierarchical models, item response theory, and machine learning. He has worked on interdisciplinary projects that integrate theoretical research with practical aspects of teaching, contributing to both scholarly dialogues and pedagogical practice. He is passionate about engaging with faith-informed scholarship in hopes of wrestling with different perspectives and ethical implications of a given research problem. Beyond conduct of research, he is also devoted to teaching, aiming to instill in his students appreciation for critical inquiry and data-centered approach among would-be educators and researchers. Fatih’s diverse interests coupled with his methodological expertise in multiple domains makes him an emerging scholar in educational psychology.
Emma Sachsenmaier is a second-year PhD student in the Higher Education Studies and Leadership Program at Baylor. Her areas of interest include integrating religious practice into education, interfaith efforts at religious colleges and universities, and the study of gender in student affairs spaces. Since her undergraduate studies, Emma has also been drawn towards how people integrate virtues and narratives into resolving conflict, embracing the other, and bridging across divides. Before coming to Baylor, Emma worked in residence life at Villanova University, received her master’s in higher education from Taylor University, and graduated cum laude with a degree in communication studies from Westmont College. Emma’s graduate assistantship is with the Baylor Graduate School, where she contributes to students’ professional, academic, and holistic preparedness both during and after their studies. She is also the graduate student representative for a university-wide committee on civil discourse and is in her second year serving on the executive cabinet of the Graduate Student Association.
Blair M. Coe Schweiger is a 5th-year Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology. Her research interests include medical anthropology, evolutionary biology, art, health communication, family network dynamics, resilience, immunizations, and cancer. Her interests stem from having grown up in Latin America and Europe. Her global experiences were intimately close to the divide between those who have and those who have not; those who have wealth and those who experience poverty, those who have formal education and those who do not, and those who have experienced joy and those whose lives have been touched by sorrow. In her free time, Blair likes to dabble in various crafts, explore her surroundings, and serve as an advocate for cancer survivorship.
Shinina Shani is a Ph.D. student in Anthropology at Baylor University’s Human Evolutionary Biology and Health Lab. Her research explores how water insecurity affects child growth, focusing on the roles of chronic stress and gut function. Originally from Kenya, Shinina is a dynamic professional with several years of public service experience across government, international, and local non-governmental organizations. Her work has spanned church leadership, public health, policy advocacy, and community education, with a focus on children, youth, and women. Driven by her personal experiences witnessing malnutrition and systemic injustice, she founded Shakenisho, a nonprofit organization committed to education, health, and advocacy for marginalized Maasai women and children. Shinina’s academic and professional pursuits are deeply informed by her faith, and she aspires to integrate applied anthropology with community-centered, evidence-based policy work. Her long-term goal is to pursue a career in academia while continuing to bridge scientific research and social impact.
David Willey is a first-year PhD student in the English Department. Born and raised in the United Kingdom along the Welsh border, David moved to Ohio where he took his B.A. at Franciscan University of Steubenville. David completed his masters at Baylor University in 2025, where he wrote his thesis on themes of Symbolism and Decadence in Oscar Wilde. His current doctoral research interests include comparative mythology, aesthetic theory, and experiences of embodiment in Victorian literature and culture. David is a teacher of record at Baylor, and he also works as a writing consultant for the Baylor Graduate Writing Center. Outside of work, David enjoys going on runs, learning to cook new recipes, and hosting vinyl listening parties.
Reichert Zalameda is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Religion with a concentration in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. He completed a B.A. in Biblical Studies (2015) and an M.Div. in Interdisciplinary Studies (2021). He worked in higher education and served in pastoral ministry for six years in the suburbs of Chicago before coming to Baylor. In addition to his work as a graduate assistant in the Religion Department, he is also a graduate consultant at the University Writing Center. He is interested in ancient Israelite ethnogenesis and how the Hebrew Bible functions as an identity forming text. His research focuses on the negotiation of Israelite identity in the book of Joshua and what the book’s discernable scribal activity can tell us about how its editors constructed Israelite identity. When he is not working on his research, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons.