As an only child from a working-class background with a single mother, I rarely encountered students with similar experience. While earning my B.S./MBA at Clemson, my awareness of being one of the few minorities in my classes became apparent. Further, as an African American male, the lack of minority representation in academia is perceptible. Consequently, I realized the importance of postgraduate education in order to enhance my skills and create opportunities to reach back and help mentor, lead, serve and encourage others within my community as wells as the community at large. The deficit of African Americans within Ph.D. programs and specifically in business and technology was a defining motivator for me to pursue a doctorate degree. Obtaining a Ph.D. in management information systems will not only provide me with specific skills and knowledge as well as research opportunities at the graduate level, but it will serve as a foundation towards future research and development opportunities as well as a career in academia.
One of my vision is to serve the community through nonprofit mentorship ventures as well as through teaching. I would like to start a non-profit organization to provide mentorship, leadership, and guidance to young men and women. I am passionate about helping young adults change their future trajectory from despair to hope. I have collaborated with peers from other universities through AMP Global Youth and we are in the process of creating a mentorship program to provide guidance, training, and leadership to high school students who need help deciding whether college is feasible and/or the correct path. I believe that sharing my story of hard work and determination can help others realize their potential and understand that acquiring their dream of an education through hard work and dedication is possible.
Why Clemson University? Clemson would be an ideal setting for me to pursue my Ph.D. journey. Clemson is unlike any other university, the profound academics, fantastic students and professors, amazing career center and a family-like atmosphere is a perfect fit for me. The professors took a real interest in my development. I attribute my decision to pursue my MBA to the consistent guidance and support I received during my undergrad studies. I am interested in the program because of its excellent reputation in both academic, research and business. Without question, I know I will be in an environment where I will be intellectually challenged and encouraged to be successful. I proudly share Clemson’s value and vision and the exceptional family atmosphere, friendly and caring students, professors who genuinely care about your academic progress yet challenges me daily. Clemson has stretched me further than I anticipated and helped me realize my potential. The past four years at Clemson have exceeded my expectations of preparing me for the next chapter of my life. I credit Clemson professors and staff for reinforcing my desire to pursue a postgraduate degree.
I am applying for admission to the Ph.D. program in business administration because I ultimately want a career in research and development as well as teaching. I am particularly interested in IOT and cloud computing in health care delivery. This past summer, I had the opportunity to intern at WellStar Health System, Georgia’s largest healthcare system, as a security analyst. I gained hands-on experience in the IT sector, and I was able to appreciate the important role technology plays in the healthcare sector. I am also interested in the factors that affect the competitive performance in businesses, long-term business strategy, and the manner in which changes in technology affect an organizations’ structure and internal processes. I believe this program would be invaluable in helping me to achieve my goals. It would also enable me to continually expound and channel my quantitative, analytical, and conceptual skills in analyzing business issues as well as, create new opportunities. Subsequent to earning my Ph.D., I would like to apply for a faculty position at a leading university to help research and identify issues concerned with technology as it affects organizational strategy, structure, and systems.
As a high school graduate, I did not have the GPA or SAT scores that warranted acceptance to Clemson but that did not deter me. Instead, I attended a small private school, Union University in Jackson, Tennessee for two years in order to improve my grades and become a viable applicant for transfer to Clemson. I knew I wanted to do something in business but not sure, what I wanted to pursue. Upon acceptance, I declared Economics as my major, I knew very little and that it would be a challenge. At times, it was a struggle but I persevered. I was intrigued and eager to learn something different as well as the opportunity to apply quantitative and conceptual skills to analyze business problems. Despite the challenges, I enjoyed my time in the classroom although academically I did not always perform to the best of my abilities.
During undergrad, I had three very diverse internships:
- As a sales intern at Aflac, I acquired some experience in the insurance industry ranging from how businesses maximize revenue to how to approach business owners. I received mentoring from key successful sales leaders within the organization. This afforded me the opportunity to call on prospects as well as existing business partners. I identified needs for a few existing partners and their employees and was asked to take the lead at meetings and created the proposal that closed the deal.
- As a Business Development Intern with Community Roots, a software startup company based in Boston, Massachusetts, I was able to discover viable after-school organizations that could benefit from the company’s groundbreaking software. This task showed productivity, efficiency, and required a great deal of diplomacy to persuade school directors to embrace changes to their process of new students’ enrollment.
- Internship at the United Way of Pickens County where I volunteered with the IRS as a tax intern. I completed the IRS tax exam, which afforded me the opportunity to learn tax laws, worked with professional tax preparers thus able to give back to the local indigent community. I also had the opportunity to meet county and other civic leaders who served within the community and was able to affect lives through tax preparation and financial education.
Prior to graduation, my mentor encouraged me to consider an MBA degree in order to be more marketable. I welcomed the idea but was concerned in lieu of the academic challenges I experienced. Despite my doubts, he felt I would do well in the program. Therefore, I followed through and applied. I personally viewed it as a way to improve professionally and prove to myself that I can succeed academically at any level. I am proud to say that I have maintained a 3.5 GPA in the MBA program and will be graduating in the spring. I have not only proved to myself that I am capable of success, but my family and friends also realized that it is possible to succeed academically regardless of the quality of education afforded to you at the high school level.
During Graduate School, I Interned at WellStar Health System as a Security Analyst in which I was able to shadow and assist cybersecurity professionals, app developers, the Linux professionals, and the robotics team. I was also able to learn, use and diagnose Symantec and Palo Alto Firewall server issues. My current position is a Graduate Assistant in the Test Proctoring Center in Vickery, which focuses on providing a quiet and comfortable environment for students with disabilities to take exams. I assist the data manager with administrative duties such as scheduling exams, hiring and training proctors, preparing exams, and assisting with special projects. My current and previous experiences have enabled me to procure diverse exposures to different business sectors, networking opportunities, and helped me adapt to different environments.
I am committed and motivated to achieve success on my journey for academic excellence. My GPA along with internship experience and the academic rigor is reflective of my dedication, cogency, diligence, and tenacity. I have always struggled with standardized tests and my prior test scores are no exception, however, it is not indicative of my abilities and my work ethics because it does not accurately reflect the accomplishment I have achieved to date, or my perseverance and motivation to achieve my goals and visions. Education is and has been the basis of the individual that I am striving to become. To date, my experiences and struggles both personally and academically have prepared me well for the next step in my pursuit of a doctoral degree in Management Information systems. I am excited about my academic endeavors and my future growth as an academic leader and researcher. I hope to have the opportunity to pursue my passion, develop new skills, and continue to grow and learn in the management program at Clemson University.
