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Ghada Abdelmoumin is a Ph.D. computer science student with Howard University and an associate professor of information technology at Northern Virginia Community College. Ghada received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical power engineering from Alexandria University, a public research institution that is the second largest university in Egypt. She earned two Master of Science degrees, one in computer science from Western Illinois University and the other in computer science and applications from Virginia Tech.  Ghada has broad experience in teaching, from working in the Fairfax County Public School system as a special education instructional assistant and substitute teacher to serving as a visiting professor at Devry University and a faculty advisor at Stratford University. In 2014, Ghada received the Teacher of the Year award from the Virginia Career College Association. She also has professional experience as a senior design engineer at Global Link Solutions, Inc. She is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Her teaching and professional interests have focused on machine learning, cloud computing, mobile computing, software engineering, and cybersecurity.

My scholarly journey before joining Howard was long and limited in options. The day I became a bison, I realized that, at Howard, the possibilities are boundless, and the opportunities are endless. With Howard, I can go somewhere, and that somewhere is absolutely wonderful. It is an inspiring journey of rediscovery, hope, and renewed promises

Omari Allen is a third-year student earning his Doctor of Law at the Howard University School of Law. In 2020, he received the Tom S. Williamson, Jr. Scholarship funded by the African American Managing Partners and General Counsel Network. Allen’s legal experience is already extensive: He completed an internship with the National Resources Defense Council in Santa Monica, California, an internship at Gupta Wessler PLLC, and a judicial externship in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the ninth circuit in San Francisco, California, among others. Allen has taken leadership positions throughout his academic career: During his undergraduate years at Pepperdine University, Allen was a chapter president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and at Howard, he is active in student governance as a director of graduate elections with the Howard University Elections Commission. Allen is also a senior staff editor for Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review, a student-managed, faculty-supervised law review published by the Howard University School of Law.Allen chose Howard because he wanted to attend a law school that was “a pivotal place of the births and successes of the Civil Rights and Black Liberation Movements.” His favorite thing about Howard is being consistently inspired and challenged by his peers and by alumni. The most important lesson that Howard taught him is that all the diverse talents and experiences of a community are necessary for progress.

Howard emboldens its students to firmly step into their individual purpose and to lead an even greater path than the exceptional Bison that came before them.

Ms. Jordyn Allen is a senior marketing major from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and serves at the 62nd executive president of the Howard University Student Association (HUSA). 

Ms. Allen has served in HUSA for three years as executive chief of staff intern, and the youngest and only two-term chair of the HUSA Senate and senator for the School of Business. During her time in the HUSA Senate, Ms. Allen passed legislation creating $70,000 in permanent annual funding for the Howard University Royal Court, established “Junior Senate” sessions to provide nearly 50 freshman the opportunity to draft, debate and pass legislation, and authored “Black Panther Day,” “The Kamala Harris Public Servant Award,” and “The Good Trouble Award” legislation to honor the work of past and current Bison. 

As a student, Ms. Allen has interned at Google, JPMorgan Chase & Company, Emerson Collective, and National Crittenton, and for the Honorable Kamala D. Harris, U.S. Vice President, and former U.S. Senator. On campus, Jordyn is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the HU Speech & Debate Team, the HU Florida Club, and is a Student Ambassador for Admissions. 

Beyond Howard, Ms. Allen is a passionate public speaker who lives by the motto “Speak to Inspire. Speak to Empower.” Her speeches have been imbedded in high school and college public speaking curricula across the nation and at Howard University. Ms. Allen was named the NSDA Informative Speaking National Champion, HBCU National Informative Speaking Champion, and Harvard University Informative Speaking Champion. Upon graduating, Ms. Allen plans to complete law school and become a corporate attorney and litigator. 

Named Filmmaker of the Month by the District of Columbia Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment (OCTFME) for the month of August. "Crispus” (produced, written and directed by Thomas) is based on the life story of Kalief Browder, a teenager falsely accused of stealing a backpack and thrown into solitary confinement in New York’s infamous Riker’s Island Prison.

I want to tell bold stories that reflect the times that we are in now. I just want to tell stories and stay true to the realities of the people who inspire them. I see film as a surreal art. If the work isn’t bold, then it hasn’t gone far enough.

Carter Clinton is a Ph.D. candidate conducting groundbreaking research in the field of genetic anthropology. He has been selected for numerous awards and honors, including the 2017-2018 Just-Julian assistantship as well as 2018 Graduate Student of the Year. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Clinton seeks to reconstruct the daily lives of people who have traditionally been excluded from history. He focuses his doctoral research at Howard University on the soil of the New York African Burial Ground, where enslaved Africans were laid to rest. By performing soil chemistry, bacterial DNA, and geospatial analysis, Clinton presented a new discovery regarding the diets of African slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries. In March 2019, the Cosmos Foundation selected Clinton as a Cosmos Scholar for his proposal titled "Next generation sequencing of bacterial DNA found in New York African Burial Ground soil samples". Clinton's research is also featured in Nature Scientific Reports, a subjournal of the #1 science journal in the world, and can be accessed on the Nature website.

I think it’s very important to address and combat the paucity of data on African peoples. Discovering one's ancestry and genomic identity is pertinent to the way in which they self-identify and are able to efficiently address generational health issues.

David Edgerton III is a graduating senior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Strategic Legal Management Communications. In April 2021, Edgerton was selected from a pool of 845 applications from 328 institutions to be a Harry S. Truman scholar. He also serves as a civic engagement coordinator for the Howard University Student Association and as president of the Howard University Speech and Debate Team. He was named a Global Scholar and elected student council representative for the Council on International Education Exchange during his time abroad in Spain, Italy and England.Edgerton is an aspiring civil rights attorney who will attend the Howard University School of Law. He has dedicated his life to service and community action. An aspiring multi-vocational change agent, he believes that it is our duty as a nation to build up every child from every background.

I feel incredibly humbled to receive this award acknowledging the hard work I put into making my community a better place. I thank Howard University for inspiring me to be a change agent and to always have a passion to serve. I will use this award to further my skills at Howard University School of Law and continue the legacy of Black excellence that Bison before me have started.

When Howard University criminology major and volleyball player Jurnee Farrell had to choose between playing in the MEAC playoffs and saving a stranger’s life, the decision was, in her words, “a no-brainer”. In 2017, Farrell signed up with the donor registry for Be The Match, an organization that matches patients in need with potential bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell donors, with the encouragement of head volleyball coach Shaun Kupferberg. Two years later, Be The Match contacted Farrell, saying that she was a match to a 57 year-old woman with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She spent her final conference tournament recovering on the sidelines, encouraged by her coach to go through with the donation. Jurnee Farrell hopes to be an example that will encourage more African Americans to sign up as potential donors. According to Be The Match, the chance of Black patients finding a donor match is 23%, the lowest rate of all ethnic groups. Howard University has partnered with Be The Match to increase the odds of Black patients finding a donation. To join the Howard registry, you may register online at join.bethematch.org/howard.

If you get the opportunity to save someone’s life with such an easy process -- you shouldn’t hesitate.

Briah Glover is a graduating senior majoring in psychology with a minor in sociology. She works with teenagers to tackle their mental health issues as a mental health first aid responder certified by the state of Maryland, as well as in a volunteer role as a mentor for middle school students. In the summer of 2019, Glover was a research intern at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center (RADC), where she assisted with the Minority Aging Research Project. In fall 2020, she will be a human development intern, training middle schoolers on life skills. She is passionate about research in the field of psychology, specifically as it relates to development and social cognition, and looks forward to performing research with esteemed psychologist Dr. Harrell in Fall 2020. Glover is currently serving in her second term as Editor in Chief of the Bison Yearbook.Glover’s favorite thing about Howard is the University’s history, as well as the students’ and faculty’s commitment to continue making history. She credits Howard with helping her to develop her sense of self confidence and teaching her that taking risks can help propel her forward. Glover chose Howard because she grew up learning about the unique culture that HBCUs provide, and Howard’s combination of HBCU culture and academic excellence made it an obvious choice.

The more reflective you are, the more effective you are.

Nira Headen is a senior afro-american studies and sports administration double major, Spanish minor from Baltimore, Maryland. She is very active on campus, with affiliations and leadership roles including serving as the elections commissioner, social action chair of Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and president of the National Panhellenic Council, to name a few. In addition to her impressive campus participation and academic work, Headen has excelled in various internships during her time at Howard, with positions at Howard University Men's Basketball Team and Sports Information Department, Under Armor, the NBA, Growth by Design Talent and an internship with TLS Talent Agency. Nira is passionate about sports and racial equality and she seeks to utilize sports to make the world a better place.Headen’s favorite thing about Howard is having the space to be unapologetically Black. She states from her classwork and internships to the fashion she wears, her Blackness is celebrated. Ironically, Headen did not want to attend Howard at first, as she has a family legacy at Howard and wanted her own experience. However, after visiting a friend at Howard and attending a lecture, Headen knew that Howard would mold her into the Black woman sports executive that she wants to be. The most important lesson that she has learned is that excellence is earned: “As a student, you are flooded with emails of awards and grants won by the University and so you start to want the same for yourself. But your friends, classmates, professors, and advisors will not give it to you; you must earn it.” 

Howard University is my mecca, my center. No matter where I go in the world, whether it be studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain or grabbing breakfast before a football game on Georgia Ave., I will always gravitate back to Howard. I am grounded in this University, the lessons it taught me, and the lifelong friends with which it blessed me. I will definitely return to my mecca when wanting to learn the newest fashion trend or dance move. When I am lost in the world, I can come back to re-familiarize myself with my core, with the tenants of truth and service, and with the place which sent me into the world in the first place.

American government and Black politics PhD student Briana Hyman has been involved with the Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center since beginning at Howard. Starting off as a volunteer with the Election Day Command Center in conjunction with the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, then as a Graduate Research Assistant, and now, she is the Winslow Sargeant Doctoral Award recipient. While balancing her time as an instructor at North Carolina A&T State University, Hyman is writing a doctoral dissertation that focuses on why U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico are not given presidential voting rights and congressional representation. She has been asked by the Walters Center to use her research to produce a paper on voter representation rights for D.C. residents. 

Howard is special to me because I have always been a minority in the schools I have attended and roles I have been in. At Howard, everyone is a minority. I was no longer singled out as the sounding board for all things POC or women-centered. I felt more included and part of a diverse family during my time at Howard than at any other point in my academic or professional life. This comfortability is something that I did not realize I was missing. I did not even notice the ways in which I have been stifled academically with other forms of formal education. Howard was the first time I could actually breathe as a student.

D’Zyre Jones is a senior majoring in computer information systems with a concentration in cyber security and minor in graphic design. She is part of a variety of organizations on campus, including student government, which she credits with cultivating her into the bold and vivacious young Black woman she is today. For the 2019-2021 academic year, she was the vice president of the School of Business Student Council, where she prioritized creating a more gender-neutral, LGBT+ friendly environment at the School of Business and providing students with the resources they need to succeed. Jones is a mental health first aid-certified mentor to with Mentoring Youth and Teens Health (MYTH) and the 2020-2021 programming chair for the Howard Chapter where they focus on bringing awareness to mental health in the Black community. Additionally, she is a cadet in the Air Force ROTC program, a member of the National Congress of Negro Women, and a content writer for HERCampus Howard chapter. She is also part of the Student Life and Activities team of student workers where she helps with programming ideas to facilitate a closer connection between Howard faculty and Howard Students. 

Jones’s favorite thing about Howard is the people—not just students, but professors, staff, faculty, and everyone in between. When she first stepped on campus, she was “graced with everything I thought Black people were and were not.” According to Jones, Howard chose her as much as she chose Howard; once she visited, she knew Howard was the epitome of Black excellence and that it would be her home. The most important lesson Jones has learned at Howard is, in her words, that “what’s for you will not pass you…It took me years to understand that Allah had already carved my path and if it’s not for me right now it’s okay— I’m okay — but if it was really for me it will come back, meaning it never passed.” 

"The tiny seed knew that in order to grow it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness, and struggle to reach light,” by Sandra Kring.

Laten Jordan is a senior honors political science major and president of the Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality (CASCADE). He is a Williams-Franklin Foundation Scholar and has served as Chief of Staff in the Howard University Student Association for one year.

Outside of campus, Jordan has worked as a Legislative Intern in the United States Senate, a Political Organizing and Policy Intern with the ACLU, and currently works as Victoria Secret’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Senior Intern.

Jordan accredits his success to the friendships and relationships that he has been able to cultivate within Howard’s community. The students, professors, and his brothers of Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, Psi Tau Chapter are what make Howard truly feel like a home to him; an environment where he is encouraged to be his most authentic self.

I want every Bison to know that you are enough. Whether you are struggling to find community or have encountered many failures, I want to remind you that you are good enough.

Kenzell Munroe is a senior Fashion Design major and creator of a sustainable fashion brand, Things of That Nature. Through his brand, Munroe creates hand-made products from upcycled material. He recently partnered with the streetwear brand Atmos in a workshop showcasing sustainable fashion. During the workshop, he created 12  upcycled tote bags that have become his signature item. Born in Syndey, Australia and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Munroe developed a love for Earth and a desire to preserve it for future generations. After learning to sew during his sophomore year, Munroe’s need to source materials for his coursework at Howard inspired him to rework denim and cargo fabrics from his own wardrobe, as well as fabrics bought from thrift stores or donated by friends and family. His signature tote bags are now a popular accessory on the Yard. 

Munroe hopes to influence and inspire everyone he connects with, bringing joy and new perspectives  through fashion design. He believes that fashion design can create a connection without words, conveying a message and ethos through artistic products. He credits Professor Mikki Taylor as his mentor during matriculation, teaching him the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry and pinpointing pollution problems and potential solutions. 

Things of That Nature alludes to the common phrase, which to me means ‘etc.’ or similar subjects pertaining to a specific realm. My realm is fashion, and I plan to involve myself in various ways in the industry, including but not limited to, design, modeling, styling, creative direction, and collaboration. Howard has excelled at teaching me that having different skills under your belt are important and beneficial.

A native of South Carolina, Chadwick Boseman graduated from Howard University and attended the British American Dramatic Academy at Oxford, after which he began his career as an actor, director and writer. Boseman starred as T'Challa/Black Panther in the worldwide phenomenon Marvel Studios' "Black Panther," which has shattered box-office records both domestically and internationally. Boseman made his debut as the African superhero Black Panther in Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Civil War,” in May 2016. He reprised the role for Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2019.Boseman's breakout performance came in 2013 when he received rave reviews for his portrayal of the legendary Jackie Robinson in Warner Bros’ “42.” He previously starred in the title role of Open Road Films’ “Marshall,” which tells the story of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases as the Chief Counsel to the NAACP. His other feature film credits include: the revenge thriller “Message from the King,” Summit Entertainment's “Draft Day,” the independent psychological post-war drama, “The Kill Hole” and Gary Fleders’ drama, “The Express.”Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016. During his four-year battle with cancer, he continued his work, persevering through the production of several films between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. Boseman passed away in August of 2020, surrounded by his wife and family. 

Purpose is the essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.

Howard is a very culturally rich and diverse University and our students not only come from all over the country, but all over the world. However, even through that diversity, there is an undeniable culture that grounds us and connects us, showing us that while we may all be different, that is where our strength lies.

After graduating magna cum laude from Howard University in May 2022, Civil and Environmental Engineering alumna and Karsh STEM Scholar Cameryn Burnette began a career aimed at engineering low-tech solutions to positively impact developing areas. She is currently a Special Project Manager at Energicity Corp in Benin, West Africa; Energicity “is not just building solar grids, but cultivating electricity ‘ecosystems’ by implementing programs that influence trade, education, and communication in rural areas.”  

In January, Burnette received a Schwarzman Scholars fellowship. The second-ever Howard alum to receive this honor, Burnette is  part of the eighth cohort for one of the most prestigious graduate fellowships in the world. Through this fellowship, Burnette aims to earn her PhD in Material Science to create materials for safe, sustainable, modern infrastructure with an early focus on bio-inspired materials and biocomposites after matriculating from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. She plans to create polymers that have the functionality of petroleum plastics and enhanced degradation abilities so they can decompose, rather than accumulating on the Earth’s surface or break down into microplastics. She is also interested in exploring the potential of enhancing natural materials for use as building materials. 

In addition to the Schwarzman Scholars fellowship, Burnette also received a presentation award for her research “Nanoindentation of bovine meniscus for localized properties.” She expects to eventually lead her own lab and work as a professor to inspire students, similar to how her Howard professors motivated her. 

Living and working in Cotonou, Benin allows me to witness firsthand the obstacles and potential solutions involved in development engineering. I am honing my values and priorities while living in a different country, and my experience there has reaffirmed my dedication to a humanitarian engineering career. I have discovered a line of work that excites and energizes me.

Bisa Butler is a textile artist who creates vivid quilted portraits of African-American life. Born in 1973, Butler initially went into the arts as a painter, earning her BFA at Howard University and her MA in arts education at Montclair State University, where she took a fiber arts class. At Howard, Butler mentored members of the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AfriCOBRA), which sought to define an art aesthetic that represents African Americans in a positive light.  Butler taught art at public high schools for 13 years, quilting in her free time, until she found representation with Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem and became an artist full-time. In her work, which is deeply rooted in the tradition of African-American quilting, Butler uses Ghanian fabrics, Nigerian batiks, and South African fabrics to capture her subjects’ African ancestry and their place in American history. She has exhibited her work in group and solo shows around the United States and the world. 

All of my pieces are done in life scale to invite the viewer to engage in a dialogue—most figures look the viewers directly in their eyes. I am inviting a reimagining and a contemporary dialogue about age old issues, still problematic in our culture, through the comforting, embracing medium of the quilt. I am expressing what I believe is the equal value of all humans.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an award-winning novelist, essayist and journalist. Coates was born and raised among six siblings in Baltimore, Maryland. His mother was a teacher, while his father is the founder of Black Classic Press, a publishing company specializing in books by Black writers. Coates studied journalism at Howard University for five years, then went on to work as a reporter. His writing gained national attention in 2008 with the publication of his first piece for The Atlantic; in that same year, Coates published his first book, The Beautiful Struggle. In 2015, Coates’ second book, the memoir Between the World and Me, launched his work to best-seller status. Since then, Coates has published myriad articles, memoirs, and essays, as well as a bestselling novel. He is currently a writer in residence at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.

My only Mecca was, is, and shall always be Howard University.

Christopher N. Cross, Ph.D. is a biomedical engineer with expertise in policy and non-profit development. During his graduate studies at Howard University, Cross became the first openly gay male student trustee in the University’s history. He also founded the Lavender Fund, a scholarship award established to provide academic financial support for Howard University students who demonstrate outstanding involvement in LGBT+ community issues. Cross has since worked in publishing, biomedical engineering, and public policy. Currently, he is a postdoctoral research fellow at Yale University’s Cancer Biology Training Program.

I am endowed by the Universe to be who I am. This foundational understanding gives me continued solace and guidance along my journey of growth and evolution.”

Born on December 18, 1917, in Cogdell, Georgia, Ossie Davis hitchhiked from Georgia to Washington, D.C., after high school, where he received the National Youth Administration scholarship and enrolled at Howard University in the fall of 1935. There, Davis found a nurturing environment to cultivate both his ideas and his talents. Impatient to try his luck on the actual stage, Davis left Howard for New York City, where in 1939, he became involved with the Rose McClendon Players. After his 1946 Broadway debut, Davis went on to perform in many Broadway productions, including “Anna Lucasta,” “The Wisteria Trees,” “Green Pastures,” “Jamaica, Ballad for Bimshire,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “The Zulu and the Zayda,” and the stage version of “I'm Not Rappaport.” Davis was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1994.Davis has written and directed numerous films, including “Countdown at Kusini,” the first American feature film shot entirely in Africa by Black professionals. Davis has received the Hall of Fame Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement; the U.S. National Medal for the Arts; the New York Urban League Frederick Douglas Award; NAACP Image Award; and the Screen Actor's Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

Any form of art is a form of power. It has impact. It can affect change. It can not only move us; it makes us move.

Classically trained on the piano, GRAMMY Award-winning musician Roberta Flack received a music scholarship at age 15 to attend Howard University. She was discovered by jazz musician Les McCann while singing at the Washington, D.C. nightclub, Mr. Henry's, and was promptly signed to Atlantic with a string of hits, including, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Where Is the Love” (a duet with former Howard University classmate Donny Hathaway), “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “Feel Like Makin' Love,” “The Closer I Get to You,” “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” and “Set the Night to Music.” In 1999, she received a star on Hollywood's legendary Walk of Fame. Flack regularly performs for audiences around the world, and has had the pleasure of appearing with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. In February 2009, Flack performed with critically acclaimed orchestras in Australia, including the Melbourne, Queensland, and Sydney Symphonies. She is currently involved with a new venture — an interpretive album of Beatles' classics. As a humanitarian and mentor, Flack founded the Roberta Flack School of Music at the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, providing an innovative and inspiring music education program to underprivileged students free of charge.

My hope is that out of all the anger and seeming hostility that we hear in some of today's music will come some sort of coalition that will become politically involved.

Dr. Kandace L. Harris, with more than 15 years of experience in higher education, is extremely knowledgeable about an array of institutional priorities and best practices for teaching, learning, and preparing students for lifelong success. 

A media and communication studies scholar originally from Oakland, California, Dr. Harris is currently the interim assistant vice president of Undergraduate Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). In this role, her focus includes facilitating and administering curriculum development and approval processes, coordinating, and supporting academic advisement, leading the General Education Honors program, supporting faculty through Faculty Development, and implementing and managing academic policies. 

Dr. Harris previously served as the associate dean in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication at CSUN and has served as an administrator at three HBCUs. Her most recent honors include selection as a 2022 HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Fellow and being recognized as a 2019 Pearls of Purpose Foundation, Inc.'s “Women Making a Difference: Sustaining the Legacy of HBCUs” Honoree. Also, Dr. Harris is a 2016 recipient of the Rex Crawley Outstanding Service Award from the National Communication Association’s Black Caucus. In 2019, she co-edited the book Being Mara Brock Akil: Representations of Black Womanhood on Television. 

Dr. Harris holds triple degrees from Howard University and is one of the first graduates to receive a Ph.D. in mass communications & media studies. Her servant leadership to her alma mater was recognized with a 2018 Crystal Bison Award from the Howard University Department of Alumni Relations and the 2018 and 2020 Region Chair of the Year Award. Dr. Harris has raised over $300k in scholarships for Howard students. In 2022, she was elected president of the Howard University Alumni Association.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devin C. Martin is an electrical engineering and computer science student at Howard University. Martin played an instrumental role in developing a prototype for ConnexionAI, a first-of-its-kind accessibility application that can convert video input of American Sign Language to spoken languages. This innovative software won first place at HackDuke and third place at HackHarvard. Martin also helped to develop an award-winning prototype for Handoff, a ride-sharing and carpool application that helps connect people in need of transportation with volunteer drivers. Martin used his time during the coronavirus quarantine to develop a program to stop the spread of misinformation on COVID-19 on social media for MIT’s COVID-19 Datathon Challenge. He has interned in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Security Agency Data Science Research Internship, and the Google Computer Science Summer Institute.

Michaella Moore is a graduating senior majoring in biology with a double minor in sociology and theater arts. She is active in student governance and is the vice president of the Petey Greene Program, for which she has served as a tutor in prisons and jails.  Moore was selected by the British government as one of 46 national recipients of the 2020 Marshall scholarship, making her the third Marshall Scholar in Howard University history. She is pursuing medicine with the goal of informing public health, policy and practices on a global stage to increase heath equity in underserved communities.

We all have a divine beat that fits into the rhythm of the world. The experiences I have had abroad completely shifted my entire view of life, health, culture, faith and humanity. Its part of my mission to not only continue this exploration of our world, but to inspire and aid other young black adults in doing the same.

Jae Murphy is an international DJ, music producer, songwriter, and actor. He graduated from Howard University with a broadcast journalism degree in 2012. Murphy has toured in six continents and performed on countless stages, including performances on Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the 2017 NFL Thanksgiving Halftime Show. Murphy has worked with a wide range of artists, including Eric Bellinger, The Game, French Montana, Wale, Problem and Jason Derulo, for whom he is the official DJ. Murphy has consistently contributed to the Howard community, and refers to his musical journey as “Howard to Hollywood: The Beautiful Struggle.” He hopes to release his debut album this year.

Jessye Norman was a Grammy Award-winning operatic singer, humanitarian, and Howard alumna known for her powerful voice and stage presence. She was born in 1945 in Augusta, Georgia to a musical family that nurtured her budding talent. Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Norman helped to integrate local businesses, participating in sit-ins at segregated lunch counters. At the age of 16, Norman’s performance at a vocal competition earned her a full scholarship to Howard University. She graduated from Howard in 1967 with a degree in music, then went on to complete her graduate education at the Peabody Conservatory and later at the Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Over the course of her lifetime, she earned several honorary degrees from a number of other prestigious institutions.Norman’s opera career took off in Europe. She made her debut in 1969 in Germany, then continued to perform at famous opera houses around the world. Her worldwide success as a Black woman on the operatic stage was both rare and groundbreaking. Though billed as an operatic soprano, Norman had an impressive vocal range and a diverse range of musical interests, including popular music, gospel, blues, and more. As a humanitarian, Norman addressed hunger, homelessness, youth development, and arts education. In 2003, the Jessye Norman School of the Arts opened in her hometown of Augusta to provide free education in the arts to underprivileged children. After a long and successful career, she died of complications related to a spinal injury in 2019. Thanks in part to her trailblazing efforts, Norman left the opera world a more inclusive place than when she entered it.

One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.

Taylor Rainey is a Howard University alumna with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Spanish. In April 2021, she was named Howard University’s first Foreign Affairs IT (FAIT) Fellow by the United States Department of State. She currently works as an associate analyst for Hillard Heintze, a Jensen Hughes Company, and will be going on to pursue graduate studies in cybersecurity with the support of the FAIT Fellowship. While at Howard, Rainey participated in the Pre-Ph.D. Summer Enrichment Program (PPSEP), where she presented a paper on the preparation confidence of communities prone to hurricanes using a comparative analysis between Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Maria. Her international experience includes study abroad courses at the Université du Luxembourg Summer School and the IES Abroad Buenos Aires, as well as an internship at the Westminster Palace under Parliament member Helen Grant in London, England. Rainey also served as a Foreign Affairs Fellow in the United States House of Representatives for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

I am grateful for Howard University’s support to join the Foreign Service, both as a student and post-graduation. I will continue to live ‘in truth and service’ as I continue my professional career.

While pursuing a degree in electrical engineering at Howard, Gregory Robinson felt that in addition to excellent academic training, he received a broader understanding of navigating a diverse environment because of the population. He said that it was this environment that aided him to become innovative without fear of failure and grow his confidence so that he could thrive in competitive settings.

Before his assignment to NASA Headquarters in 1999, Robinson worked in different leadership positions at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He also served as the Systems Assurance Manager for projects like Global Geospace (1994), Earth Observing System (2002), and Aura Spacecraft (2004).

In 2005, Robinson moved to the role of Deputy Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters where he developed and implemented NASA’s Engineering Excellence and Engineering Technical Authority, and improved project management and systems across the agency.

In 2013, Robinson was named the deputy director at NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center. In that role, which he calls a highlight of his career, he played a role in furthering aeronautics and space technology. He also served as NASA deputy chief engineer, a role in which he got to work on approximately 22 shuttle launch missions that took place in the years after the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003.

Since taking the role of Deputy Director at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in 2013, he has been managing a plethora of programs and projects.

Robinson has received numerous individual and group performance awards, including the Presidential Rank, Meritorious Senior Professionals and Executives Award. In February of 2022, Robinson was awarded the Roy L. Clay Sr Technology Pinnacle Award.

Portrait image courtesy of NASA.

Master your subject matter expertise, make sure you explore all that Howard has to offer, interact with all types of people on and off-campus, find what you love and run with it. When you leave Howard, you will be prepared for anything!

Alma Thomas was an artist and educator best known for her colorful abstract paintings. Born and raised in Columbus, GA., her family moved to Washington, D.C. when she was 15, seeking relief from the racial climate of the South. Thomas graduated from Howard University in 1924, becoming the first person to graduate from the newly-formed Department of Art. Though Thomas’s early artwork was realistic, her Howard professor James V. Herring and peer Lois Mailou Jones—both notable artists in their own right—encouraged her to experiment with abstract styles. Thomas taught art for 35 years and pursued painting in her free time. After retiring from teaching, Thomas developed her signature abstract style and debuted her first exhibition at Howard University at the age of 75. Her mosaic-like paintings translated art history, nature, and personal aesthetic in simple compositions influenced by the pointillism and abstract expressionism movements. Thomas was the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American art. In 2015, 37 years after her death, Thomas's piece “Resurrection” (1966) became the first piece of artwork by a Black woman to hang in a public space in the White House and enter the permanent collection. 

My real belief is in my art, in beauty. I say everyone on earth should take note of the spring of the year coming back every year, blooming and gorgeous.

Roz White is a vocal musician, actor, motivational speaker, and educator. She is currently starring in and receiving stellar reviews for her self-penned cabaret “Pearl Bailey… by Request”. A Washington, DC native, Roz graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and Howard University. At Howard University Roz made history when she became the first and the only Miss Howard University to win the nationally televised Miss Collegiate African- American Pageant. She has worked as a featured vocalist with Yolanda Adams, Stevie Wonder, and the late Michael Jackson. In theatre, she has become widely recognized for her versatility, boasting a resume that includes leading roles in a variety of productions throughout the US and abroad. Her newest venture is a music movement called “Griot Soul” which merges her storytelling gift with the warmth and earthiness of her vocal styling. Roz is a trailblazer, and has performed in venues such as Madison Square Garden, The Kennedy Center, Ashford and Simpson’s Sugar Bar, The Apollo Theatre, Constitution Hall, The Shrine Theatre, and The White House. TV appearances include The Soul Train Christmas Spectacular, Lou Rawls Tribute to the Stars, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, and Quincy Jones’ VIBE. Roz recorded two hit dance singles which gained recognition in Billboard magazine’s New and Noteworthy column. She can be heard as the sexy featured vocalist on the R&B smash “The Moon” by independent soul star Eric Roberson. Roz is a devoted mother to two brilliant sons, Anthony and King. Roz is a member of D.I.V.A Incorporated, the Society for Women in the Arts -- Founded at Howard University.

My experience at Howard in the College of Fine Arts was, in a word, charmed. From the invaluable technique, training and nurturing I gleaned from my amazing mentors-Mike Malone, TG Cooper, Dr. Carole Singleton, Joe Selmon, Reggie Ray, Al Freeman Jr. Vera Katz, and Henri Edmonds--to my reigns as Miss Howard (crowned by the one and only Debbie Allen) and Miss Collegiate African America, I couldn’t have dreamed a more fulfilling and powerful journey into my passion and chosen profession as a performing and teaching artist.

Wilmer Wilson IV was born in Richmond, VA in 1989. As an artist of multiple mediums, including performance, photography, sculpture, collage, painting, and installation, he is critically recognized for performative investigations of Black presence in public spaces. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Howard University in 2012 and received his Master of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. Wilson is the recipient of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Fellowship and The American Academy in Rome Fellowship. His work has been presented at galleries and museums around the United States and the world.

Art came to me at a time when other modes of communication had failed me. It gave me permission to do gestures that might be able to hold the contradictions of embodied experience.

Dr. Woods received his Bachelor of Music degree from Southeastern Louisiana University, Master of Music from Howard University, the Performer’s Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, and Doctor of Arts in Music Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado. 

Woods is a Sphinx LEAD (Leaders in Excellence, Arts, and Diversity) fellow. Sphinx LEAD is a two-year fellowship designed to evolve the industry landscape by empowering the next generation of executive leaders of Color. This is achieved through participation in executive leadership retreats, mentorship, and networking at top institutions at the national level.

Dr. Woods has received several teaching awards including the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award and the Peabody Preparatory of The Johns Hopkins University’s Diversity in Teaching Award. 

Dr. Woods has held teaching positions at the University of Northern Colorado, Coppin State University, the Levine School of Music, and the Peabody Preparatory of Music. Dr. Woods has enjoyed performing and teaching throughout the U.S., Japan, China, and Thailand.  

Woods has performed as principal trumpet with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. The Sphinx Symphony Orchestra is based in Detroit MI and is a premiere organization that is strongly dedicated to diversity in the arts and is completely comprised of members who are of African American and Latinx descent. This ensemble includes performers with full-time positions in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit, Seattle, and Phoenix Symphonies, and university professorships.

Source: International Trumpet Guild

Simone Yhap is a Senior Pre-Med Biology Major, and a Political Science and Chemistry double minor from West Moreland, Jamaica by way of Brooklyn, New York. Since her senior year of high school, she has been active in the non-profit sector by volunteering with the Family on Three Foundation, a 501©3 non-profit organization focused on youth empowerment, enrichment and mentorship through basketball and motivational workshops.

Can’t does not exist in your vocabulary ... the only limitations are the ones you impose on yourself; if you go into something already believing that you cannot do it, then you will not do it.