Morgan State University News February 2013 Alumnus Amen Ra Mashariki Reflects on Appointment as White House Fellow For Amen Ra Mashariki and Jason Washington, serving as members of the 2012-2013 Class of White House Fellows has been nothing short of a dream come true. The two join a distinguished group of exceptional young men and women who benefited from a first-hand look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the federal government. The White House Fellows Program was created more than forty years ago and offers a select group of men and women an opportunity to spend an entire year working alongside governmental leadership at the highest level. Reflecting back, Amen Mashariki said, "I have access to some of the smartest people in D.C. who make decisions daily that impact the country and the world." Mashariki is placed at the Office of Personnel Management and is believed to be the first White House fellow who graduated from three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). He earned his doctorate degree in information engineering from Morgan State University, his master's degree in computer science from Howard University, and also his bachelor's degree in computer science from Lincoln University (Pa.). "HBCUs were great for me because they forced me to step out in front and take more ownership in my education and leadership in my professional endeavors." Mashariki applied for the Fellowship after serving as both a computer scientist and senior bioinformatics researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He has spent more than seven years in the technical industry as a senior software engineer, and has over eight years of experience teaching advanced computer science courses for High School students as well as University level students at places such as the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is confident that the Fellowship will help him to pivot into a more senior-level role pushing technological strategies at the chief information officer or chief technology officer level. Jason Washington always had a desire to work in public service and felt the Fellowship was an opportunity to gain more knowledge and elevate his leadership skills. Washington entered the Fellowship with a proven record of remarkable early career achievement. Washington served as senior policy advisor for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Md., and most recently chaired the Mayor's School Construction Taskforce. He previously served as chair of the AnBryce Foundation Advisory Council and treasurer of the New York University School of Law's Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander Alumni Association. He received a B.S. in biology, from Morehouse College, an M. Ed. in general education from the University of St. Thomas, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. "I have most enjoyed meeting, talking and debating with the other 14 Fellows on various issues," Washington said. Both Mashariki and Washington say that serving as White House Fellows has been an incredible experience. They hope that their stories will encourage more students from HBCUs to consider applying in future applicant pools. You can learn more about the White House Fellows program here: http://1.usa.gov/V76B7c SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.