Nyla Pruitt is a Junior at Barnard College, Columbia University, majoring in Africana Studies and Neuroscience and Behavior. She was awarded the Zora Neale Hurston Grant at Barnard College, providing funding for a research project investigating the preservation of oral tradition from Western Africa to the Americas, focusing on religious and spiritual practices in African American communities.

She is currently studying abroad at the University of Cape Town, deepening her scholarship through coursework in African politics and feminist thought.

Her academic and research interests center on racial equity, gender justice, environmental policy, and LGBTQ+ rights, with a commitment to interdisciplinary approaches that bridge science and social justice.