Africana Studies Symposium Highlights Major Opportunities
麻豆传媒 alumni discussed how minoring in Africana Studies shaped their future. Pictured (from left to right): Donnetrice Allison, Pamela Thomas-Fields, Ariane Hutchins-Newman, Toyo Aboderin, Frank Assante, Marion McClary and John Gray.
Galloway, N.J. - What can you do with an Africana Studies degree? Absolutely anything. For those who wanted to dive deeper into this question and find out what doors the university鈥檚 new major could open for them, the Africana Studies Alumni and STEM panel discussions Feb. 20 provided answers.
鈥淚 think that both panels spoke to the importance of representation. There is an old saying, 鈥業f you can see it, you can be it.鈥 I don鈥檛 recall who said it first, but it definitely applies here,鈥 explained Donnetrice Allison, coordinator and professor of Africana Studies at 麻豆传媒. 鈥淚t is important for African Americans, and all students really, to see those who look like them in various fields so that they can see how wide ranging their options are.鈥
The first discussion, made up of six Stockton alumni, examined how minoring in Africana Studies not only influenced their careers and lives, but was an integral part of their Stockton experience. Through Africana Studies classes, panelists learned more about themselves and other cultures. The department also provided them with a support community and safe space in a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), which can be a challenging environment for students to navigate, panelists said.
鈥淚 would posit that Africana Studies was the glue, was the soil in which we were dropped in and our seeds got watered over the years through our various journeys, expectations and experiences to bring us to where we are today,鈥 said Frank Assante 鈥90, principal of Emerson Community School.
Other alumni included moderator John Gray 鈥92, instructor of Organizational Leadership
at Stockton; Toyo Aboderin 鈥17, a freelance marketer enrolled in Temple University鈥檚
Africology Doctoral program; Ariane Hutchins-Newman 鈥90, assistant dean in Stockton鈥檚
School of Health Sciences; Pam Thomas-Fields 鈥90, the first African American woman
to run for mayor in Atlantic City who works in its Department of Planning and Economic
Development, in addition to being an adjunct professor in Stockton鈥檚 School of Business;
and Marion McClary 鈥90, the NCAA Division I faculty athletics representative at Fairleigh
Dickinson University and coordinator of the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation
in STEM.
The second half of the day centered on African Americans in Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) careers. These six speakers discussed the importance of representation
and access to education in STEM careers for black students. All panelists talked about
the obstacles they faced throughout their college careers and beyond, while also touching
on what keeps them motivated to excel in their varying industries.
鈥淥ne of the places where it starts is because there are a lot of white people in STEM. It鈥檚 one of those things where you don鈥檛 have a whole lot of African Americans that you actually see, so there鈥檚 this idea that you can鈥檛 do it,鈥 said Kerisha Bowen, a registered patent agent for Dentons US, LLP.
Additional STEM panelists included LaShauna Connell, recruitment specialist at the University of Pennsylvania; Kendrin Dyitt, an Atlantic County educator; Brian Moore, owner of Freeman Consultants, LLC; moderator Gordan Reeves, assistant professor of chemistry at Stockton; and Caleph Wilson, a field application scientist at Miltenyi Biotec, Inc.
To learn more about the Africana Studies majors and upcoming events, visit stockton.edu/arts-humanities/africana-studies.html.
