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Howard Doctoral Candidate Paola Yuli Named Woodson Pre-Doctoral Fellow
In the summer of 2020, as the world grappled with a global pandemic and a seismic reckoning with racial injustice, Paola Yuli was looking for a way to make her scholarship matter. Seeking a PhD program that "centered the African Diaspora and to produce scholarship that served diasporic communities," she set her sights on Howard University.
"I received the acceptance letter in early 2021 and immediately knew that I belonged," Yuli reflects on her arrival at the Hilltop. "What I did not know then was that I would find a home, dedicated advisors and mentors, and lifelong friends."
Now a Doctoral Candidate, Yuli has spent the last several years building a formidable academic profile. Her journey has been one of both service and rigorous inquiry—from tutoring in the Writing Center and teaching undergraduate courses to her recent induction into the prestigious Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. That path has now led her to a significant new chapter: being named a 2026-2028 Carter G. Woodson Pre-Doctoral Fellow.
The Poetics of Survival
At the heart of Yuli’s work is an urgent exploration of the "blue humanities." Working under the direction of Dr. Curdella Forbes, her dissertation—“Literary Hydro-Crises: The Poetics of Water in Caribbean Women’s Writing 1980s-2020s”—reimagines our relationship with the environment. To Yuli, water is not merely a backdrop for stories; it is a "vital trope, metaphor, and character vital to our planet's existence and survival."
Her research investigates a diverse range of "waterbodies," moving from the vastness of the Caribbean Sea to the "biological forms of water in the human body" and even domestic spaces like bathtubs. By examining these forms in contemporary literature, Yuli illustrates how water functions as "an imagined site of agency in times of crisis."
By connecting these literary symbols to the "genealogies of globalization," Yuli is building a critical bridge between the ivory tower and the front lines of the climate crisis. "My research offers a bridge... to center the effects of global climate change on the general public and the important work of writers that explore its effects," she explains.
Innovation Beyond the Page
The Woodson Fellowship will offer Yuli the "vital support" needed for the "drafting and editing stages of four chapters" of her dissertation. However, her scholarship isn't confined to traditional manuscripts. In an innovative move, Yuli is also developing a 2-D video game titled The Archivist: Caribbean Digital Waterworlds, blending digital humanities with environmental advocacy.
This forward-thinking approach extends to her views on the future of academia. Yuli remains focused on the "impact of AI in higher education" and the critical role of literary non-profits in supporting "students' literacy journeys."
A Commitment to the Next Generation
Despite her growing list of accolades, Yuli’s primary motivation remains rooted in the community that raised her. Upon completing her PhD, she intends to join the professoriate as an Afro-Diasporic literature professor, with a specific focus on the Caribbean.
"As both a PhD candidate and an instructor at an HBCU, I have a personal investment in educating the next generation of students," Yuli says, "to ensure that everyone, regardless of background, can achieve academic excellence."
As she joins the "vibrant community of dedicated scholars and mentors" at the Woodson Institute, Yuli stands at the intersection of history and the future, ensuring that the voices of the Caribbean continue to rise above the tide.