Major: International relations and Middle Eastern studies
Profession: M.S. student in agricultural and resource economics
Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina
What are you doing now?
I am living in Alabama while I earn a master鈥檚 degree in agricultural and resource economics from Tuskegee University. I bought a house and six acres, and spend as much time as I can outdoors working on a variety of home improvement projects. Right now, I'm looking for hens for my chicken coop.
At school, I am conducting an econometrics study on U.S. trade policy with Africa and its ability to affect political and economic liberalization. I have had multiple opportunities to present my research at agricultural conferences and even organized a webinar on the African Growth and Opportunity Act while interning at the U.S. Department of State.
How did you get there?
God has created a path for me. At Pomona, my professor, Mietek Boduszy艅ski, and classmate, Ruben Murray 鈥19, showed me the Pickering Fellowship and encouraged me to pursue a career in diplomacy. I kept that information with me as I served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Morocco until the pandemic.
I then returned to North Carolina and worked in land development (moving dirt and digging holes) until a Pomona connection landed me my first adult job. I worked in sales for two years before deferring the Pickering Fellowship for an additional year to make more money and become a more generous person.
How did Pomona prepare you?
The network and critical thinking skills I developed at Pomona have helped me build a social safety net. The thesis process helped me hone my writing skills, seminars prepared me for policy debates, and the mentorship of professors Stephen Marks and Tom Le has guided me through tough life decisions.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
The Pickering Fellowship has a five-year service requirement. They pay for graduate school, and in exchange I will give them five years of hard work. I will likely be serving as a U.S. diplomat working on economic policy in an embassy somewhere in West Africa.
Any advice for current or prospective students?
Remember your 鈥渨hy鈥 and Pomona will help you reach it. I went to college so I wouldn't have to worry about money again. The American Dream. But Pomona isn鈥檛 just a bunch of bag chasers. I now have friends who are lawyers, dentists, diplomats and entrepreneurs. It鈥檚 the kind of school that attracts people from all backgrounds and sends them out in all directions. Yet, we鈥檙e always able to come back to our shared experience.