Kaila’s peers and professors alike celebrate her for her “humility, work ethic, and tenacity” and “empathy, drive, and desire to improve the lives of others.”

Kaila Greatness Price is earning her Master of Science degree in UX Design and Research (also known as Human-Computer Interaction) with a passion for using technology to solve real-world problems and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. She is inspired by her parents, who defied the odds in their career paths and instilled the importance of higher education and resilience against racial injustices from her earliest years.

It is precisely that persistence and passion that led Kaila to the University of Michigan. Kaila is a talented artist, but when she was waitlisted by the competitive Graphic Design program at Western Michigan University, she didn’t let it deter her; instead, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic and Printing Science Multimedia, double minors in Fashion Merchandising and Art, and Lee Honors College certification. It was at Lee Honors College that Kaila began research on Black women/non-men, misogynoir, and its current impacts on Black women’s body image, which she continues today intending to turn the work into a documentary titled From Our Lips to Our Hips (hopefully with award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay).

Following her graduation from WMU, Kaila worked in finance while doing freelance work in graphic design until she found a perfect way to combine her love of research and design: UX. Kaila is now thriving as a graduate student at U-M’s School of Information, where she plays an integral role as President of Black @ SI. She has been recognized as a UMSI Achievement Fellow and a finalist in the 2023 James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship Competition, in addition to completing a UX Graphic Design Internship at the Michigan Kidney Translational Medicine Center. Kaila’s peers and professors alike celebrate her for her “humility, work ethic, and tenacity” and “empathy, drive, and desire to improve the lives of others.”

CEW+ commends Kaila’s determination and names her an Irma M. Wyman Scholar.