Fridays at Newcomb: Lecture by Ilana Horwitz

ana M. Horwitz (Ph.D., Stanford University) is an Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Sociology and the Fields-Rayant Chair of Contemporary Jewish Life at Tulane University. She is a sociologist who studies how religion, social class, gender, and race shape young people’s educational pathways and life chances. Her work draws on both large-scale surveys and in-depth interviews to understand how inequality unfolds over the life course. Dr. Horwitz is the author of God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion’s Surprising Impact on Academic Success (Oxford University Press, 2022), which won the Distinguished Book Award from the American Sociological Association’s Religion Section. Her most recent book, The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond (Princeton University Press, 2025), is an invaluable guide for scholars stifled by the traditional academic route. Her third book, Not a Solo Climb: Rethinking Mobility in America (under contract with University of California Press), co- authored with Kaylee Matheny, examines how social class and gender shape college completion and economic mobility. Her research has appeared in American Sociological Review, Social Science Research, and Contexts, and her public writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Conversation. Before entering academia, Dr. Horwitz worked in management consulting and education policy.