Zakiriya Gladney

About CV Technical Projects Artwork Writing

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Harvard University

Expected 2027

Cambridge, MA

BA, Social Studies and Statistics

Coursework: Theorizing Digital Capitalism, Global Rebellion: Race, Solidarity, & Decolonization, Intro to African American Studies, Intro to Social Studies, Hegel & Marx, Statistical Inference, Probability, Data Science, Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations

Telluride Association Summer Seminar

2022

Ithaca, NY

Fully-funded 6-week seminar at Cornell University, 72 selected / 2400

  • Studied under professors Will Bridges (University of Rochester) and Greg Londe (Cornell University)
  • Examined the intersection of art, technology, and futures, exploring how artists of color use speculative imagery to challenge historical narratives and promote social change

Awards and Honors

U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Selected by the White House based on "academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as a demonstrated commitment to community service and leadership."

YoungArts Finalist

Selected as one of 10 finalists from 800+ young applicants by the national artist committee, earned $5,000 in award money

Artist Development Fellowship

Chosen to receive $8,000 in grant funding to support "the artistic development of students demonstrating unusual accomplishments and/or evidence of significant artistic promise" by a Harvard faculty committee, for a project on Tunis, Tunisia, Arab conceptions of modernity, and urban political formation

Work & Campus Experience

Initiative for Medicines, Access, and Knowledge

June 2024 - Sep 2024

New York, NY

Researcher

  • Qualitative research and analysis on the evolution of intellectual property law and philosophy, identifying key implications on medical equity and access
  • Presenting complex historical, legal, and philosophical findings in an accessible format to adapt and communicate nonprofit strategy

The Harvard Crimson, Editorial Board

Dec 2023 - Present

Cambridge, MA

Editorial Executive & Staff Writer

Writer Profile

  • Published 30+ analytical editorial pieces, translating complex topics into compelling article form
  • Researching, fact-checking, and maintaining journalistic integrity to strengthen board output
  • Editing and proofing publications for rhetorical impact and clarity
  • Led cross-functional collaboration on multimedia opinion content for The Harvard Crimson, merging written, video, and visual storytelling

The Harvard Advocate

April 2024 - Present

Cambridge, MA

Art Board Editor

  • Selected and organized visual art for publication in the nation's oldest continuously published collegiate literary magazine, with a focus on amplifying underrepresented and emerging artists

STEM Experience

Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science

May 2025 - Present

Research Assistant

  • Assist professors Gary King & Casey Petroff on research examining scientific norms and pedagogy
  • Performing data analysis and statistical modeling of citational data using R

Pathways, "Hacking Injustice" Hackathon w/ Engineering Hope

Mar 2025 - Present

First Place Winner

  • Awarded first place, $300, in a hackathon's "Forced Displacement" category for developing a web platform connecting volunteers with IINE, a community organization supporting resettling refugees
  • Developing software using React and Tailwind CSS to streamline volunteer engagement and enhance community support, mutual aid infrastructure

MTA Bus Arrival Predictor

Nov - Dec 2024

Project

  • Developed a predictive model for NYC MTA bus arrival times using Machine Learning techniques
  • Enhancing arrival time accuracy by incorporating weather data and random forest modeling in Python

Bit Buckets FIRST Robotics Team

Aug 2020 - May 2023

Tucson, AZ

Vice President (2021-22) and Programmer

  • Programmed using Java to create a competitive robot for local, regional, and national Robotics competitions, earning #2nd at Las Vegas Regional 2022
  • Managing technical project workflows and version control systems to optimize collaborative development
  • Direct team decision-making processes to organize a team of 24 student engineers

Center for Digital Humanities at the University of Arizona

Mar - June 2022

Tucson, AZ

Research Assistant

  • Designed and programmed navigation algorithms for hospital robots using Python
  • Implemented optimization techniques for software performance
  • Developed automated solutions for complex routing problems

University of Arizona Department of Pharmacology

Mar - June 2022

Tucson, AZ

Chemistry Lab Assistant

  • Assisted Dr. Wei Wang in developing novel photoredox catalytic pathways to produce pharmaceutical molecules
  • Research provided low-emission alternatives to common pharmaceutical industry reactions
  • Washed glassware and prepared solutions for 10 person lab
  • Prepared, monitored progress, and isolated organic chemical products for over 20 new reactions

Skills

Languages

  • French - Certified at B1 CEFR level equivalent, earned Arizona Seal of Biliteracy
  • Arabic - Two semesters of language study at Harvard, corresponding to A2 on the CEFR scale

Programming

  • Languages - Python, Java, JavaScript, R
  • Frameworks/Tools - Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, Scikit-learn, Git

Art & Media

  • Digital, medium format & 35mm photography
  • Archival-quality digital printing
  • High-resolution film scanning
  • Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop
  • Art criticism, journalism, and editorial writing