CHRA Graduates Go On To PhD Programs
Students enter into the MA Program at the Center for Human Rights & the Arts from a range of practice fields, most notably art, advocacy, research, or some combination thereof. Their post-graduation trajectories have similarly varied. Some have returned to their existing practice and trajectory, energized and newly oriented and equipped. Others utilize their two-year, full-time, and in-person matriculation as an opportunity to pivot. One of the other ways in which the MA program has facilitated the trajectories of matriculated students is serving as a launchpad into PhD programs. Our first three cohorts of the MA Program at CHRA have included a number of students that have gone on to doctoral studies. Below we highlight some of them to capture the diversity of topical interests, disciplinary trajectories, and educational institutions that mark these students’ post-CHRA trajectories.
Iris Yiqun Luo (’23) came to the program as a storyteller and educator interested in cultural ecology and community development. For her MA thesis at CHRA, Iris completed a written academic thesis titled “Weaving the Threads: Labor Protection of Maya Weavers in Guatemala.” The project focused on indigenous Maya weavers in Guatemala and labor exploitation in mass garment production. This Fall 2025, Iris began her third year at Cornell University’s PhD program in Human Behavior and Design.
Adam HajYahia (’23) came to the program as an independent writer and curator interested in the intersections of violence, colonialism, and capitalism, with an emphasis on the libidinal and the sexual. For his MA thesis at CHRA, Adam completed a hybrid project titled “Carnal Politics,” which investigated the intricate relations between sex, desire, and anti-colonial deviance in Mandate Palestine (1918–1948). The project took the form of an article-length essay and a speculative photo exhibition. This Fall 2025, Adam began his doctoral studies in the PhD program in Performance Studies at New York University.
Katya Korableva (’24) came to the program as a researcher and curator interested in the intersection of social sciences, activism, and arts. For her MA thesis, Katya completed a hybrid project titled “(Im)mobile Subjectivities of Russian Dissent During the War on Ukraine,” which investigated Russian anti-war sentiment in both Russia and the diaspora. The project took the form of an article-length essay an audio-visual installation. This Fall 2025, Katya began her second year at McGill University’s PhD program in Humanities.
Anas Al-Khatib (’25) came to the program as a practicing architect, dancer, and spatial researcher interested in questions of violence, visualization, and cartography. For his MA thesis at CHRA, Anas completed a hybrid project titled “Designed by Our Hands,” which investigated the space-making agency in the Dheishah Refugeee Camp in Bethlehem, Palestine, and took the form of an article-length essay and an architectural design manual. This Fall 2025, Anas began his doctoral studies in the PhD program in Architecture at Yale University
Raneem Ayyad (’25) came to the program as a multidisciplinary researcher, architect, and visual artist interested in the intersection between the built environment, heritage, gender dynamics, and colonial relations. For her MA thesis at CHRA, Raneem completed a hybrid project titled “Where Do We Meet the Sun?,” which investigated the interconnectedness of vitiman D deficiency and urban planning in the city of Al-Zarqa in Jordan. Her thesis took the form of both an article-length essay and an interactive performance. This Fall 2025, Raneem began her doctoral studies in the PhD program in Anthropology at Yale University.
Click here to read more about the MA Program at the Center for Human Rights & Arts.
Post Date: 09-22-2025
Iris Yiqun Luo (’23) came to the program as a storyteller and educator interested in cultural ecology and community development. For her MA thesis at CHRA, Iris completed a written academic thesis titled “Weaving the Threads: Labor Protection of Maya Weavers in Guatemala.” The project focused on indigenous Maya weavers in Guatemala and labor exploitation in mass garment production. This Fall 2025, Iris began her third year at Cornell University’s PhD program in Human Behavior and Design.
Adam HajYahia (’23) came to the program as an independent writer and curator interested in the intersections of violence, colonialism, and capitalism, with an emphasis on the libidinal and the sexual. For his MA thesis at CHRA, Adam completed a hybrid project titled “Carnal Politics,” which investigated the intricate relations between sex, desire, and anti-colonial deviance in Mandate Palestine (1918–1948). The project took the form of an article-length essay and a speculative photo exhibition. This Fall 2025, Adam began his doctoral studies in the PhD program in Performance Studies at New York University.
Katya Korableva (’24) came to the program as a researcher and curator interested in the intersection of social sciences, activism, and arts. For her MA thesis, Katya completed a hybrid project titled “(Im)mobile Subjectivities of Russian Dissent During the War on Ukraine,” which investigated Russian anti-war sentiment in both Russia and the diaspora. The project took the form of an article-length essay an audio-visual installation. This Fall 2025, Katya began her second year at McGill University’s PhD program in Humanities.
Anas Al-Khatib (’25) came to the program as a practicing architect, dancer, and spatial researcher interested in questions of violence, visualization, and cartography. For his MA thesis at CHRA, Anas completed a hybrid project titled “Designed by Our Hands,” which investigated the space-making agency in the Dheishah Refugeee Camp in Bethlehem, Palestine, and took the form of an article-length essay and an architectural design manual. This Fall 2025, Anas began his doctoral studies in the PhD program in Architecture at Yale University
Raneem Ayyad (’25) came to the program as a multidisciplinary researcher, architect, and visual artist interested in the intersection between the built environment, heritage, gender dynamics, and colonial relations. For her MA thesis at CHRA, Raneem completed a hybrid project titled “Where Do We Meet the Sun?,” which investigated the interconnectedness of vitiman D deficiency and urban planning in the city of Al-Zarqa in Jordan. Her thesis took the form of both an article-length essay and an interactive performance. This Fall 2025, Raneem began her doctoral studies in the PhD program in Anthropology at Yale University.
Click here to read more about the MA Program at the Center for Human Rights & Arts.
Post Date: 09-22-2025
