Samaya Miller
MPhil in Development Studies
University of Cambridge (Rotary Club of Ely Hereward, District 1080,
and Rotary Club of High River, District 5360, 2024-25)
Samaya Miller recently graduated from the University of British Columbia in International Relations. She will dedicate her research at Cambridge to understanding how inequality, poverty, policy imbalances and historical events influence the accessibility of quality education for young boys in Jamaica. By employing an intersectional and historical approach, she aims to explore the myriad of educational barriers and perpetual historical inequalities for these boys, examining their effects on identity and economic mobility and exploring potential avenues for intellectual empowerment to alter their life trajectories.
At UBC, she worked as the campus head for the Black Caucus and as an Equity Advisor for the Equity and Inclusion Office. Following this, she was the 2023 Canadian Birthright Scholar with Grace Kennedy, working at a STEM center, creating and providing educational resources for some of the poorest in Kingston, Jamaica. She is engaged in community development and climate resilience with Stantec, one of the world's leading sustainable corporations. Furthermore, she is a fellow of the 1834 Fellowship, a public policy program for young Black Canadians, and serves as a youth council member for the Global Jamaican Youth Diaspora Council.