Moody Students
Make a Difference
Xavier Ingram
He/Him, Plano, TX
Radio-Television-Film
Movies have always been a huge part of Xavier Ingram’s life. Since he was young, he’s imagined himself as a character in the films he watched. He wrote his first feature-length script by the time he was in 5th grade.
I am fascinated by the ability that storytellers have to evoke an incredible amount of emotions from their audiences. The fact that I can create something that can bring a smile to someone's face or bring tears to their eyes is something that I cherish very deeply.
Ingram is vice president of the Black Lens organization, which creates a space for Black creatives at UT to discuss and develop their skills as artists. His short film, “Kim Possible & Ron Stoppable,” premiered at the Texas Union Theater in May. It’s based on the Disney Channel series. “I wanted to challenge myself to take a silly thing that I loved and turn it into something new that people could laugh at yet still take seriously as a quality project,” Ingram said. “As a Black filmmaker, it was important for me to showcase that the limit for the kinds of stories we can tell is endless. No matter how goofy or different my idea was from what was expected of me, I knew I needed to tell whatever story I felt compelled to tell.”
Ingram credits Moody College faculty for allowing him to reach his full potential with their mentorship and encouragement. “Black film is something that the world needs to cherish greatly. It isn’t something that can be put into a box as it comes in all different stories and tones. In order to keep the film industry fresh and alive, it’s important that we all keep pushing for the inclusion of authentic and diverse Black stories.”
Tiba Al Khafaji
She/her, Austin TX
Communication and Leadership
When she was seven, Tiba Al Khafaji’s home in Iraq got hit by an RPG7. Not long after, a bomb went off outside her elementary school.
Al Khafaji is one of 13.2 million kids forced to flee their homes because of violence and other outside forces, according to UN statistics. Today, she studies Communication and Leadership at Moody College, where she has become a leader on camp
Most people don’t understand that refugees are human beings too, human beings who fight for their right to be protected and treated with respect and dignity. That is why I use my voice to advocate. I advocate because I have the opportunity to. I advocate because, unlike millions of others, my voice can’t be shunned.”
“Most people don’t understand that refugees are human beings too, human beings who fight for their right to be protected and treated with respect and dignity. That is why I use my voice to advocate. I advocate because I have the opportunity to. I advocate because, unlike millions of others, my voice can’t be shunned.”
By combining her personal experiences and skills she’s learning at Moody, Al Khafaji has helped countless people in Central Austin. In her time as a Longhorn, she’s served as a LEAP mentor, a resident assistant, an orientation advisor, a peer support specialist with the Longhorn SHARE project and co-founded the Texas Ahlul Bayt Student Organization.
I not only utilize my leadership skills to serve on chairs and lead, but I also use those skills to step down and follow because you cannot be an effective leader without learning to follow first.
She was also vice president of UMR Austin, a chapter of the United Mission for Relief & Development, where she helped distribute more than 1,000 sack lunches and 500 hygiene kits to the homeless community in Austin. She also led the UMR team in a campaign to collect clothing and other items for the homeless during the 2021 winter storm. Al Khafaji has had the opportunity to share her story at nearly two dozen rallies and advocacy events, including in a congressional meeting with Texas Senator John Cornyn to encourage robust funding for the refugee resettlement program.
Anastazja Harris
She/her, Goldsboro, NC
Communication Studies Doctoral Student
AI-based tools continue to be incorporated into workplaces every day, from automation to algorithms that screen job candidates to decide who’ll advance to the interview stage. Because of this, Communication Studies Ph.D. student Anastazja Harris is interested in how people make sense of and use these tools during the hiring process.
In 2021, Harris received the NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant to conduct research into how hiring managers use AI tools on the job, specifically whether their understanding of AI influences how much they trust it to help make hiring decisions.
As AI-based tools continue to be incorporated into workplaces, we need to gain a better understanding of how everyday workers without expertise in AI are relying on these tools to do their jobs,” Harris said. “There isn’t a general shared understanding of how AI works, so people will bring in their own understanding of what it is when interacting with AI-based tools.
Harris said many people have biases about AI. And AI systems, since they are created by humans, often have biases built into them, which is why it’s important to investigate them. “There have been past incidents of algorithms being biased toward people with darker skin tones, women, and other marginalized groups,” Harris said. “By addressing potential individual biases related to people’s understanding of AI, we can hopefully limit the amount of biased decisions that result from people’s misconceptions of the quality of AI-based recommendations.”
Harris is thankful for the research training she’s received at Moody. She said it’s helped her to think big and ask bold research questions. “My hope is to continue using my research skills to tackle big questions related to how our society uses advanced technology.”
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