Hometown: Dothan, Alabama

Degree and Class: Ph.D., CSCS*D, 2018

How did you learn about/end up attending MSU?

Dr. Jeff Simpson, a doctoral student at MSU and 1-year ahead of me at the time, contacted me about Dr. Matthew McAllister. He notified me that he thought we would work well together as mentor and student and so I followed up with Dr. McAllister via phone. The rest is history.

What are the responsibilities of your current position?

As an assistant professor at the University of North Alabama, my current load breakdown is 60% teaching, 30% research, and 10% service. In addition, I advise approximately 75 students and serve as either Chair or committee member on several theses and dissertations each year.

What is your favorite part of the position?

I absolutely love the mentor aspect with my students in a research setting. I was hired on as a professor with my main workload directed towards teaching, but my passion lies in research. It is in the laboratory that I get to see my students critically think, apply their classroom skills, and discover the beauty of the research process.

How did your education at MSU help prepare you for your field?

My time at MSU was very challenging from a workload capacity. I used to often talk with Dr. Smith about how the workload of a doctoral student was simply not practical beyond a few years. I would say that my training was so rigorous in several aspects at MSU, that everything after as a professor has been easy. I was told by several professors how hard my first year of being a professor would be, but the last two years have been rather easy compared to my doctoral years. 

What advice would you give current students looking for internships or jobs in your field?

When interning, you are building your resume for a potential job in the future. When applying for jobs, you are competing against many other potential employees for that same position. You should be waking up every morning and asking yourself, “How can I separate myself from everyone else today?” Every night that you go to bed, you should have an answer for that question. You’ll be successful in finding a job if you can do that.

What advice would give to incoming graduate students at MSU?

You must be humble, coachable, and have intellectual curiosity. If you are not waking up every morning, excited to learn something new, you should not attend graduate school. If you think you have it all figured out, you do not. You should review the Dunning Kruger chart and understand you are likely at the ‘peak’ of the figure. Finally, be open-minded and remain coachable. Choosing a good mentor is your most important decision in graduate school. Listening to that mentor is the very next most important decision.