Blk + In Grad School

Meet Rarosue, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of South Florida! In this week’s episode, we talk about Rarosue’s passion for Global sustainability and her plans to help convert everyday waste to energy. Rarosue finished her undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering in her hometown, Nigeria. After graduating, she completed one year of Core Service. While finishing her core service year, she conducted personal research that helped her create sustainable resources for her and her family and created Green Club Nigeria, an environmental sustainability platform dedicated to educating children about the environment.  She also joined a Facebook group and met who would later become her professor during her Master’s program at the University of South Florida. (I keep telling you, networking is key!)

Not your average engineer, in addition to her studies, Rarosue has a youtube channel, “Rarosue Amaraibi,” where she focuses on environmental education and lifestyle. It’s all things going green but let’s also make it glamorous!

Rarosue’s Lesson from the Trap introduces us to Nigerian rapper M.I Abaga! Tune in now for some cultural appreciation and food for thought!

Follow Rarosue on IG @raro_solo, on Twitter @rarosue and on YouTube.

Follow Green Club Nigeria on IG @geenclubnigeria and on Twitter @greenclubng

Online school is nothing new, people like Keri have been completing degree virtually well before the pandemic.

She's a senior budget analyst for the Internal Revenue Service that started her educational journey in pharmacy before deciding to pursue psychology while at Howard University. We talk about her experience earning her MBA online from Champlain College, entrepreneurship and the beauty industry! Her passion for money and asset management moved her to Atlanta where she was able to also explore songwriting and producing music all while doing her MBA. She talks about being a grad student, a song writer and working full-time. She shares her balance strategies and her experience as a Black woman in an online MBA program. She also shares her inventor and entrepreneurial journey as she builds her beauty business, Keri Kontours.

Follow Keri on Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter

This episode is super special because I get to introduce you all to my sister, my soror, and my dear friend, Makenzie. An International Program Manager at Microsoft, Makenzie is a North Carolina A&T double alum with a B.S. in Biological Engineering, and an M.S. in Technology Management with an emphasis in Operations and Manufacturing Systems. We dig deep into Makenzie’s decision to pursue her Masters at an HBCU versus a PWI, how she balances work, home life, and keeping her passport stamped, and how one compliment landed her the job at Microsoft. Crazy, right?

Makenzie’s story is all about the importance of exploring your options and “knowing what works best for you and cultivating that environment.” *three snaps*

Instead of our normal Lessons from the Trap, Makenzie gives us a break from the Trap with R&B vibes from Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be.” (Listen to the episode to find out how this music brings her balance!)

For some good laughs, follow her @kayzeejean on IG and @kayzeemoss on Twitter!

Navigating academia, science, and everything that’s going on in the world around us as a Black woman can be a lot to handle. This week, I had an honest conversation with my internet friend, Jazmine I. Benjamin, about the two different hats Black female scientists wear.

Jazmine is a fourth-year Ph.D. student who is pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical science. Her research focuses on the effects of feeding behaviors on risk factors for diabetic nephropathy. As a cell and molecular biologist, Jazmine made the pivot from basic health sciences to endocrinology and diabetes. Grad school gave Jazmine the option to follow research opportunities while establishing a strong and diverse support system that facilitates and encourages her growth

In this episode, Jazmine shares intimate details about navigating the world of academia as a Black female scientist in this current day and age. She discusses the “hidden curriculum” that Black people in academia face, from experiencing the microaggressions and racism that present themselves, to having to be beyond excellent in order to afford the same opportunities that are offered to white colleagues. Jazmine shares her personal experiences and stories, helping listeners by identifying red flags within academia as a Black female scientist.

In addition to her scientific training and background, Jazmine is also passionate about science policy. As the founder of the Science Policy and Advocacy Initiative (SPAI) at The University of Alabama in Birmingham, she is focused on contributions affecting policy as it relates to science, as well as affecting policy as it relates to K through 12 STEM education in the United States.

Follow Jazmine on Instagram @jibenhamin, on Twitter @j_i_benjamin, and on LinkedIn.

Do you love supporting Black businesses? Of course you do! On this week’s episode I had the pleasure of chatting with Marshay, the CEO and founder of Buzzoms, a clothing company designed to support a life that all women want - the ability to wear clothes that support you no matter the size. Marshay recently obtained her MBA from Columbia Business School where she studied Entrepreneurship and Technology. Before studying at Columbia, Marshay obtained her undergrad degree from the University of Virginia, where she studied and sought a career in Finance. When she realized her passions lie elsewhere, she quickly pivoted to tech after landing a job at the money manager start-up, Betterment. From there, divine intervention took over.

Marshay discusses navigating Columbia as a woman of color,  starting a business during the pandemic, and the power of reinvesting your negative emotions into building your business. Filling a void many women face regularly, Marshay combined her creativity and personal experience to birth a clothing line that will literally change the game.

To learn more about her clothing line and shop her timeless pieces, visit her on IG @buzzoms and at www.buzzoms.com

If you’re a first-gen college grad this episode is especially for you! In this week’s episode, I talk with Dr. Eve, a first-gen college grad inspiring, empowering, and promoting personal transformation and entrepreneurial development through her business and podcast, The First-Gen Lounge. A native of Charlotte N.C, Dr. Eve received her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at the tender age of 28 from the University of Southern Mississippi. There she studied student affairs through the lens of HBCUs, and Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLO) during the Civil Rights era, which seem fitting since she’s currently an esteemed member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. After graduating and returning to her undergrad alma mater Charlotte University, the oldest HBCU, she soon realized her path into Academia may not be what she originally thought.

Shedding light on the administration side of academia, Dr. Eve shares some food for thought about the cultural differences between the graduate and professional academic world and gives great advice for scholars close to the finish line and anyone thinking of starting a business.

Dr. Eve is currently a part-time online professor and a full-time motivator, uplifting and serving her community and students by teaching them to trust their judgment, live life with no regrets, and embrace their lane.

Follow Dr. Eve on all social platforms @evehudsonphd and don’t forget to support her pod, The First-Gen Lounge

Dr. Nehemiah Mabry, PE is a Structural Engineer, STEM Educator, and Entrepreneur. He's the brilliant mind behind STEMedia, a multimedia company that provides technical and creative content for the STEM/STEAM community. His experience includes over 8 years of research at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and currently works as a Bridge Design Engineer. This week we talked about his graduate journey, from fully funding from NASA for his Masters to hustling to secure funding after the first year of his Ph.D. I really enjoyed learning to story of STEMedia. Dr. Nehemiah shares how his creative outlet in grad school became a successful business where he melds his passions to this day.

Follow Dr. Nehemiah on IG and Twitter @NehemiahMabry

Get involved with STEMedia, follow IG @stemedia and Twitter @_stemedia

This week listen in on my convo with Amonté, a third-year Ph.D. student studying Forestry Resource and Conservation at the University of Florida. Amonté shares a story unlike any other on the podcast, mostly because his original life plan didn’t include a career in academia, but football. But after getting his GED, a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Business and Economic Landscape and Design from Florida A&M, and a Master’s in Agricultural Education from Purdue, Amonté finds himself, by day, teaching and researching how to use school gardens for contextual learning. When he’s not in the classroom, Amonte is co-hosting his podcast, “The Process,” and raising his two kids with his lawyer wife. Power couple! Hello!

An important story about the cruciality of supporting your community, paying homage to those who came before you, and paving the way for those who will follow, Amonté gives us a history lesson and shows us how success is not a linear process.

Amonté’s Lesson from the Trap? Listen to the episode to find out how these cult favorites inspire Amonté!).

Follow Amonté on IG & Twitter: @AmonteMartin S

Support his pod, The Process, on IG: @overcome_achieve.

A journalist by trade, Jalisa, aka Jae left a career in radio when she decided to move to Atlanta and earn her Ph.D. She is a third-year doctoral student at Clark Atlanta University, where she is studying Humanities with a double concentration in African American Studies and Political Science. Her research focus is Digital Discourse Surrounding Sexual Agency of Black Women in Southern Hip Hop. She loves all things Southern, like diamond grills, slabs, bounce music, crawfish, and a good HBCU band.  She shares her reason for intentionally earning her Ph.D. at an HBCU, balancing her full-time job, work as an influencer, her Etsy shop, and managing a community she created with over 12K Black single young professionals.

Follow Jae on Instagram and Twitter @JaeSoFamous