North Carolina Central University News August 12, 2016 Real-world Experiences Prepare Students for Advancement North Carolina Central University (NCCU) students gained valuable experience and new skills in summer 2016 through a wide variety of internships and experiential learning opportunities at home and abroad. Two students ventured to the Republic of Ghana to attend a six-week study-abroad program at the University of Legon. Christina Boyd, a sophomore majoring in mass communications, and Shalonda Carmichael, a senior recreation administration major, made the trip thanks to NCCU's partnership with Duke University's departments of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies. "We took a cultural anthropology course, which worked out well because I needed it for my graduate school prerequisite," said Carmichael, who plans to continue her education with a master's degree in occupational therapy. The pair also traveled extensively to see the country's savannahs, rain forests, cities, farming villages, forts and coastal towns. "We were able to see how every part of the country is different, with different ethic groups, ceremonies and rituals," she said. "It was very eye-opening. The travel included information about changes that occurred in Ghana during the British Colonialism period of the mid-1800s through the early 1900s. "They had their own way of life in Ghana before the British came," Carmichael said. "My take-away lesson was: Don't destroy what you don't understand. And just because something isn't being done your way, doesn't mean it is the wrong way." The adventure also gave Carmichael a desire to travel back to Africa and to other areas of the world. "I have my passport; nothing can stop me now!" she said. History major Paul McAlister devoted nine weeks of summer break to studying Arabic at the Indiana University Summer Language Workshop. McAlister said he wants to learn Arabic because he hopes to conduct research on the Byzantine and Ottoman empires and teach college-level history one day. Learning a new alphabet was the most difficult part, he said. Classes were held four hours each weekday, and the students also participated in after-class discussions with advanced learners and native Arabic speakers. "It is a difficult language, but near the end everything started moving smoothly," McAlister said. "I went from knowing nothing to knowing a pretty good amount in a short period of time." Fees for the course - plus a weekly stipend - were paid for by Project GO, a U.S. Defense Department initiative in support of language studies. McAlister qualified for the program as a member of ROTC at NCCU. The rising sophomore said he plans to go back to Indiana next summer before studying abroad in Jordan or Morocco after his junior year for a more immersive language experience. Rebekah Mixon, a master's candidate in earth sciences, used her knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) throughout the summer as an intern with the University of North Carolina School of Government's Development Finance Initiative. The job involved entering geographic, population and other data into GIS to create multi-layered maps that county and municipal leaders use to plan revitalization and development projects. "In the past, I've been involved in classroom research that was not really applied to anything," Mixon said. "But in my internship, I was creating maps to be used in town meetings and council meetings. The maps help people understand visually what is actually happening in their own communities. It was exciting to have that real-world experience." Junior Michael Hopkins spent 10 weeks at the University of California studying molecular and cellular biology with some of the top researchers in the nation. Hopkins, whose major is pharmaceutical science, was selected to participate in the Exceptional Research Opportunities Program that allows students to work with an investigator sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Hopkins chose the lab of Michael Rape, a renowned cell and developmental biologist and chair of cancer biology at UC Berkeley. "It was a really good experience," said Hopkins. "I knew I wanted to be a scientist and a teacher, and this encouraged me." In Rape's lab, he and other researchers examined ubiquitylation in embryonic stem cells, a process essential for human development. "Just being in that type of environment, working alongside the best of the best, makes you feel like you also can be best of the best," Hopkins said. "Berkeley opened my eyes to all the possibilities there are in the world." The Raleigh native said he hopes to continue on to graduate school and focus future research on stem cells and cancer. Joshua Strayhorn spent a portion of his summer New Jersey as an intern at Princeton University, where he conducted research on the Great Migration of southern born African-Americans to northern cities. There were actually two parts to the migration, Strayhorn explains, occurring after World Wars I and II. The focus of his research was on how African-Americans churches in Chicago reacted to the influx of southern blacks. "I found out there was a large divide in class and culture," he said. "There were existing communities of elite blacks with money and education, while the migrants were largely sharecroppers and industrial workers." Strayhorn, who studies history and Spanish at NCCU, was matched with Princeton through The Leadership Alliance, which encourages students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in science, social science and the humanities. At the conclusion of his internship, Strayhorn had a 20-page research paper to his credit and the intention to aim high when it comes time to apply to graduate school. "Coming to Princeton took away the mystery of the Ivy Leagues and made it seem more attainable," he added. "It was a valuable experience." Another history major, Khadija McNair, got a taste of life as a grad student at Pennsylvania State University. The weeklong mentoring program was designed to encourage students of color to consider Penn State as a potential next step after receiving an undergraduate degree. "I got to meet a lot of the staff and students in the history graduate department, and we had seminars on what classes are like, and how to apply to graduate school," said McNair. "I loved it." One helpful bit of information was that most grad students get financial help through assistantships and stipends, which, he said, "put things in perspective." Although initially concerned about transitioning from an HBCU to a predominately white campus, McNair said his fears were alleviated by meeting and talking with other African-American grad students who have formed a close bond at Penn State. "Now, it's something I definitely want to do." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) 404-577-5158 (fax) Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/ 7th Biennial Membership Meeting: Register here http://hbculibraries.org/2016meeting-form.html for the October 10,11 Membership Meeting in Atlanta. Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. 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