Sherrae Hayes is a University Enrichment Fellow at Michigan State University. She started her PhD program in African American & African Studies in 2011, studying with Rita Edozie, PhD. She is focusing on urban education. Her past research examined the ways that black history and culture expressed through clothing could be used to reaffirm student identities and to provide meaningful contributions to students’ education. She plans to build upon this research to reveal the distinct terms of how urban black students communicate a sense of self, pride, and identity via clothing and the potential impact on perceptions and possibilities for their futures through fashion statements and the statements they make beyond fashion. Prior to coming to MSU, Sherrae received a BA in speech communications from Tennessee State University in 2008 and an MA in Africana studies from New York University in 2010.