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Tihirah Ruffin is a Research Intern at the Institute of Higher Education Policy (IHEP), supporting research on postsecondary data transparency, equitable admissions practices and strategies that promote positive outcomes for all students.  

Prior to joining IHEP, Tihirah served as a Higher Education Research and Data Intern at EdTrust. She earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University, her B.S in Psychology from the University of Michigan and, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, along with a graduate certificate in Public Policy Analysis at Colorado State University. At the core of her work is a simple belief that higher education should be an accessible, affordable, and equitable pathway to opportunity for every student, especially those historically underserved by higher education systems.  

Outside of work, Tihirah loves to challenge herself by taking up new hobbies, with a recent focus on building Lego sets, painting, and relearning to play the violin.