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About

Caleb Franklin didn’t know the Alabama A&M maroon and white decor adorning his middle school homeroom was a whisper of his future.

Fast forward several years. Caleb had other ideas when he began his college search, but the 5 Strong Scholarship program pairing Atlanta students with select HBCUs eventually led him to the Hill. “When I came to campus, what sold me was the campus tour.”

That experience made him into a Bulldog and inspired him to work as a University Echoes Student Ambassador, traveling to high schools to share what AAMU offers and to help make college education more accessible for others.

Caleb realized he wanted to work with youth to help make a difference, and found the BS in Special Education was the right fit for him. His student teaching experiences in both urban and rural settings, plus his work with the C5 Georgia Youth Foundation teaching leadership development skills to teens, has reinforced the decision.

Next year, Caleb begins a four-year commitment working in high-needs classrooms with Urban Teachers. while completing a two-year MS in Education program at John Hopkins University. When finished, he’ll hold advanced degrees in Secondary Literature and Special Education, plus years of teaching experience and one-on-one coaching from mentors.

He loves the tagline Start Here. Go Anywhere. “In the zip code I grew up in only 11% of the people have a college degree. A&M taught me there are no limits… [It] doesn’t matter what you look like, what you sound like… with your mindset and your academics, you can legit do what you want to do in life. There's nothing that can hold you back from doing that.”

Although he appreciates having had many Black teachers growing up, he realizes now how rare it was. “My motivation… when I wake up every morning, I know that I'm very much needed… I hear a lot of students say, ‘I never had a Black teacher. I never had a Black male teacher in my classroom.’ And so I know I can be that difference.”

Caleb's advice to new students

"Network, network, network. Get out and meet new people. Take advantage of every new opportunity!"

About

Law school has been on Tanaijah Adams’ mind since she was six years old. Following the advice to never give up on her dreams, today Tanaijah is academically prepared to apply to some of the nation’s top law schools.

She started AAMU as a political science major but switched to English as a sophomore, to further improve her writing and reading skills in anticipation of those next steps in making her dream a reality.

Who inspires Tanaijah to keep on moving forward? “My mom, my mom truly inspires me. She had me and my twin brother at the age of 17. …she's always been motivated. She finished high school, finished her four year degree, went to nursing school and got another degree. …[if] she can endure all of that in life, I know that I can pursue my dreams and keep going.”

She’s been hitting the books (including reading everything by James Baldwin, her favorite author) but Tanaijah also makes time to participate in a host of campus activities. Whether it’s the Student Government Association, English Club, Democratic Club, Criminal Justice Club, Pre-law Society, Go Girl Mentor Program, or National Society of Leadership, she follows her own advice when it comes to getting out there, meeting new people, and forging relationships.

She is making the most of what’s available to her because Tanaijah has first-hand knowledge of contrasting educational experiences. “On the poor side of [Memphis], it’s limited opportunities, limited options for those students just because of the area code they live in. And if you go to [the other] side of the city, it's totally different. There, the opportunities are unlimited. The professors are more engaging. It's just a totally different life.”

It’s part of what encouraged her to pursue law school, and she plans to give back. “I do want to help those children or people that come from spaces [where opportunities are] not given to them. They don't have the choice to better their situations.”

She can’t wait for her next big adventure, but she has loved her time at AAMU and will miss it. “I love the HBCU life here on campus …being introduced to so many different Black cultures that it has to offer. I [have] so many friends that come from so many different backgrounds. …you probably won't get [this] anywhere else.”

Tanaijah's advice to new students

"Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, to join organizations, to meet new people, to make new connections, to build relationships with your professors, and just have fun."

About

Poetry. Gaming. Music. Movies. Tommie Griffin describes himself as a “little geeky nerd” when it comes to his interests and hobbies. Perhaps that’s why, after graduating from University of Mississippi with a B.S. in Business and working at a bank and then as a bookkeeper, he was ready for a big change and a new challenge.

He appreciates the experience he gained in those positions, but Tony knew he just wasn’t satisfied. “I wanted to get out of my small town. I want to do more. I want to see more people. I've always wanted to get out and just see the world and travel.”

And that’s how he began researching new career opportunities and graduate programs. While visiting an undergrad fraternity brother who was already in grad school on the Hill, Tony’s interest was sparked in the Computer Science program. He applied, got in, rushed to plan his move to Alabama, and the rest is history.

He’s been able to catch up with peers who already had a CS background when they began. He’s also getting a well-rounded perspective of the industry, from both the business and the technical side, by working as a graduate assistant in the AAMU IT Department alongside the Chief Information Officer and a great group of coworkers. “I really love the people that I work around. It's a totally different environment for me. I like the people that I have surrounded myself with, and it has been very nurturing.”

AAMU impresses Tony because of the level of care staff and faculty have for students. “They genuinely want to help the students. They want to see students succeed.” He talks about CS professor Dr. Alak, “He is phenomenal. He took his time making sure… do you have the foundation? Then he built upon that foundation. He did such a great job of helping me put it together, putting it in layman's terms of how to understand what I'm doing, the coding and everything.”

Tony started figuring out coding, realizing it truly is learning another language. “I liked the idea of seeing how to run a program that works. The first time I did, I was like, ‘Oh, it works! I can code!’”

With many of these big steps taken, Tony is “more focused on where I want to be. What type of person do I want to be? What type of future do I want to have? What type of foundation do I want to have for myself and for those behind me?” The answer is working and traveling for Google as a software engineer—his dream job.

He’s also considering a career in cybersecurity, or even a PhD somewhere down the road. “The first doctorate on both sides of my family sounds wonderful. It sounds amazing.”

Right now, Tony keeps an eye on the many emails AAMU sends about opportunities, career fairs, and networking. He’ll soon begin planning for a 2021 summer internship. “I want to get my foot in the water… to make sure this is something that I do want to do, that I do want to go into.”

He’s coming from the same small town as Oprah Winfrey, setting big goals, and taking the steps to reach them. No matter where Tony’s path leads, there’s bound to be some new buzz about great talent from Kosciusko, MS.

Tommie's advice to new students

“As long as you're trying, as long as you're trying to put your best foot forward, the staff [at AAMU] is going to help you. They're going to give you resources. They're going to just give you that extra push that you need if you need it. I love it so much.”

“Start here and build a foundation. Build yourself. Build a brand for yourself… the opportunities are going to come to you as well.”

About

Tony Hairston was the first person in his family to attend college, on a full scholarship playing Bulldog football back in the mid-1990s. What this AAMU Hall of Famer didn’t know at the time was the enormity of the impact Alabama A&M would have on his life.

Fast forward to 2020. After a successful 20-year career in the steel industry, Tony is back in the classroom getting his master’s degree on the Hill, in Systems and Material Engineering. His three daughters are current undergraduates (two in Engineering, one in Biology), making for four Bulldogs in the immediate family.

Perhaps the pull on the next generation Hairstons to attend AAMU stems from Tony’s life-changing experience here. From the minute he stepped foot on campus for a tour in 1993, the heavily recruited high school All Star knew it was home. “I loved the Hill. I loved everything about it.”

And from day one as a student, Tony made a commitment to make the most of his academic opportunities along with everything he got to experience and enjoy on the field. “Our professors did a great job getting us prepared for the workforce. Those skills I had going into the steel industry… my math and problem-solving skills… I’m proud and thankful to have obtained the right skills.”

It’s why he knew exactly where he was headed for graduate school. Back in the Engineering program to learn a new skill set, Tony says, “Our program is one of the best, I think. Many big companies are here recruiting at Alabama A&M. I would put us against anyone in the country. We really produce great engineers here.”

Studying full time, Tony still makes time to participate as an active member of his alumni chapter. He says he “bleeds maroon and white” and wouldn’t have it any other way.

From reminiscing about The Big Freeze of 1995—a storm that made for snow hijinks and student bonding—to describing the feeling of playing in the Magic City Classic in front of 80,000 people, Tony’s enthusiasm for AAMU is infectious. “When you see Alabama A&M, it’s like magic. When you see the stadium lights that light up the Hill, it’s like nothing else.”

Tony's advice to new students

“We do a great job making students [feel they] belong and become a family at Alabama A&M. And that's who we are. Come… experience it for yourself. It’s a great school!”

About

Chef. Teacher. Fashion designer. Eboni Major had these careers in mind when she began looking at colleges. Little did she know she would become the modern world’s first Black whiskey blending professional, and one of very few females in the distilling industry.

It was a hallway greeting from Dr. Martha Verghese, Chair of the AAMU Department of Food and Animal Sciences, that would change Eboni’s college and life trajectory, indelibly. “She made sure I knew about opportunities to work in a lab …about summer programs. I had those opportunities just from making that first connection with her. I had focus.”

Her fascination with culinary presentation and consumption gave way to curiosity for exploring the functionality of ingredients and how they interact, and above all, quality. “I got so far into food science… I became really invested in it and more intrigued by seeing the projects” in AAMU’s Food Science laboratories.

This new focus sparked Eboni’s interest in all the places a food science career could take her.

She’s been honing her sharp sensory capabilities for the past five years while working on quality control and new product development for Bulleit Bourbon. It began as a one-year, well-paid internship that was too good to turn down, and then she “kind of started to love” the whiskey industry. “The job I do now is centered around quality. It's ensuring quality control and consumer acceptability, but by using taste and smell.”

Eboni hopes to effect even more change in this rapidly changing industry. The profile of typical whiskey drinkers is evolving and consumer concerns about sustainability and equity are driving forces that matter to her.

She’s thankful for the foundation she was able to build as an undergrad at AAMU. “…the foundation of how to work on teams, how to collaborate, how to negotiate… the hands-on learning that you get from being involved in a department, really give you the tools you need to succeed in the real world.”

Eboni's advice to new students

“Don’t just go through school to get the work done… Cherish the experiences that you get [at AAMU] because they’re really going to shape your career.”

“As African Americans, we literally have our entire life to be the minority. Being around Black excellence and seeing that for yourself is really important because nine times out of ten, when you go and you get those jobs after college, you're going to be the only one. Build your foundation with African Americans at an HBCU.”

About

If you read the latest news about Lisa Jones and her company EyeMail, Inc., if you know she began her career at NASA and completed an MBA in Marketing (while working full time) long before she turned 30, you might get the impression of a focused and driven “go getter.”

You wouldn’t be wrong. But you might not expect the warm and genuine personality Lisa exudes when you meet her. For Lisa, it all comes down to human connection, which she realized at AAMU.

“[College] was my first time in life recognizing the importance of unity, the importance of aligning and coming together for a common good and to share in that,” Lisa says. “We want to be around things and experiences and people that make us feel connected. And that's what HBCUs provide. …that personal connection that the faculty and administration are focused on how to help you be the best you you can be, when you go out into the real world…”

That recognition of the need for human connection, plus a promise to herself to create something transformational in honor of her late mother, are the reasons Lisa founded EyeMail with a mission to “bring email to life.” While working corporate hours as the head of supplier diversity at Cingular Wireless in Atlanta, Lisa moonlighted on her tech start-up, which uses patent-pending video technology to greatly increase email engagement.  

In 2009 she made the leap to full-time CEO of EyeMail and today, with clients such as Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola, it’s fair to say Lisa and her product are well on their way to revolutionizing email marketing.

Regarding the incredible list of awards and recognitions Lisa has received, she says, “It's about the journey. I worked hard. It shows that it was worth it. And it's honoring my mom every single day something positive happens.”

Some of her highlights include winning the Black Enterprise Innovator of the Year, the Madam C.J. Walker Business Innovation Award, the Stevie Award, and the Delta Airlines Catalyst of the Year; as well as participating in the Microsoft Women in Technology Initiative and the Coca Cola Companies Mentor Protégé Program (as one of just eight companies selected nationwide to participate.)

As she reflects on everything that has happened in her life thus far, Lisa thinks about the late Congressman John Lewis, also from her hometown of Troy, AL. “He contributed not only nationwide, but globally. Thinking about how one person, the ‘Boy from Troy’ could inspire the world, I believe greatness can be born from anywhere in the world and significance is not geographically defined.”

That’s why she loves the AAMU tagline – Start Here. Go Anywhere. “AAMU is the perfect beginning to any journey and to know that all things are possible. And no matter what the outcome, your AAMU family is always here to support Special You.”

Lisa S.'s advice to new students

“Embrace every moment. You should celebrate your small victories. You have to stop sometimes and say, ‘yeah, I did that.’ Yay, I made a great grade or yay, I showed up today and I gave a great presentation. It's about that internal piece of knowing that you can do it, that you are on a journey and that you're not going to quit. You're going to keep going forward. No matter what, keep going forward and go for it.”

About

Saying Harold James heeds the AAMU motto “Service is Sovereignty” is an understatement to say the least. This young alum has made it a habit to help others in a multitude of ways, whenever he is able. Long before his days on the Hill, and now several years after leaving Normal to work for Disney, Harold continues to strongly believe that serving others is the way to find and define yourself.  

“You find your true passion through service, when you're serving others… If you're somebody who's passionate about tutoring your friends, because you want to be an educator someday, that's where your passion lies. If you're somebody who wants to help people figure out what they should be doing in life, maybe you want to be a guidance counselor, or maybe you want to be a career coach. [Service is] where you truly find your passion and literally tap into it.”

One of Harold’s best memories from his days at AAMU is creating a school beautification service-learning project at Lincoln Academy (for an Honors Program assignment) and then witnessing it blossoming into a robust mentoring program to help under-resourced K-8 students and their families. “Many of these kids were in need of someone telling them that they can. It was THE project at the time. It was one of the most amazing things I was able to do as a student at AAMU.”

These days, one of the many ways Harold continues to help change the picture and the narrative for people of color is by helping with diversity recruiting at Disney. One of very few Black employees within the global giant’s finance division, Harold points out that it’s challenging to be “the only Black face in the room.” That’s why he makes extra time to participate in change-making efforts.

And as busy as he is with work these days, Harold still makes time to come back to campus for speaking engagements when he’s able. He’s also working with some friends to create a scholarship fund. It’s his way of paying it forward. “It is very important to give back... You probably were afforded some opportunity that you didn't realize was an opportunity [at the time], that you wouldn’t have gotten if you didn't go to Alabama A&M.”

Harold's advice to new students

“Always think with the end in mind. What are you like? Why are you here? What are you doing it for? And how do you get there? There's a goal you should be working towards, even if that's not what you want [later on] – work towards it and change your mind if you need to, but in the interim work hard and focus on what matters.”