JTC 24: Lifting Others

On an airy April day that would tempt even the most bookish students astray, Jonathan Dabel is poised at his desk, wrapping up a Zoom interview and making plans to fly to Seattle to present his research at the University of Washington.

For Dabel, the college experience has been a marathon of seeking and seizing opportunities. His internships and research projects have taken him to Jackson, Miami and the bustling corridors of Washington, D.C. As an economics and public policy leadership major, he has invested his college career in exploring ways to address poverty.

Born in Boston, Dabel spent his formative years in Haiti before returning to the United States and eventually moving to the Gulf Coast town of Diamondhead. A first-generation college student, he was drawn to the University of Mississippi after conversations with an orientation leader and a few students.

Jonathan Dabel (bottom right) with friends Andy Flores, Brandon Ashmore and Caleb Bohannon. Submitted photo

A pivotal event during his freshman year directed his research interests. While spending winter break in a campus dorm, Dabel learned his meal plan could not be used for part of the break.

Although he had access to the campus food pantry, Grove Grocery, he did not have appliances or utensils to prepare many items. Dabel was able to turn to a relative for support but learned in the process that food insecurity affected more students than he would have expected.

The experience led Dabel to advocate for reforms as an Associated Student Body senator and to apply to work as a Congressional Hunger Center intern. Placed in Jackson during the summer of his freshman year, he created a digital map of all major food banks in Mississippi to facilitate the food donation flow from grocery stores to food banks.

He also managed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cases that helped customers with financial constraints get government assistance.

“Watching Jonathan persevere and develop into a leader has been inspirational,” said Zachary Vereb, assistant professor of public policy leadership, who mentored Dabel and guided his development as a researcher.

“I have been impressed by his application of ideas from the classroom into the real world, making real change in people’s lives, especially as these relate to food insecurity and other issues of justice.”

Dabel found supporters and mentors among his professors and employers at Ole Miss. During his sophomore year, he received an internship to teach high schoolers in Miami with the Breakthrough Collaborative, an organization that works with traditionally underrepresented students to achieve post-secondary success.

“The biggest thing we can do as human beings is to be involved in our communities in ways to make them better. That’s my passion.”

The internship allowed him to teach an entrepreneurship course in Miami to rising high school students, many of whom were from under-resourced communities. In an achievement that influenced his future direction, Dabel led one student to win an $11,000 grant to start a nonprofit focused on using technology to decrease mental health issues among teens.

“I realized in Miami that education is one of the fastest ways to get people out of poverty, and I really wanted to understand how we teach and empower kids to graduate and go to college,” he said.

“Growing up in Haiti and seeing a lot of poverty and moving to the U.S. and dealing with things like food insecurity ties to my interest in poverty and economic development. In the future, I hope to work in an environment where I can have a positive impact or create more opportunities for people.”

Jonathan Dabel visits the U.S. Capitol while interning for the Emerson Collective in Washington, D.C. Submitted photo

Besides his work in Jackson and Miami, Dabel served as a strategic planning and development intern for the Emerson Collective in Washington, D.C. There, he worked on an economic development project and drafted policy reports on ways to track the pace of resident displacement due to noninclusive economic growth.

After he graduates in May, Dabel plans to spend a year gaining professional experience and then pursue graduate studies in law, public policy or business.

“I want to do work that has a positive impact on people,” he said. “The biggest thing we can do as human beings is to be involved in our communities in ways to make them better. That’s my passion.”

Dabel’s distinctions and awards at Ole Miss reflect his various leadership roles. He was named Freshman Leader of the Year and received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement.

Most recently, the College of Liberal Arts awarded him its James Meredith Changemaker Award.

“Jonathan has taken the scenario of his life experiences and learned from them,” said Melissa Jones, associate director of the Trent Lott Leadership Institute and director of leadership endorsement programming.

“He has used this experience to stand in the gap for others. He is one of those people who is determined to leave people in positions better than he found them.”

“Wherever life takes him, he will be a leader with unwavering personal investment, thoughtfulness, drive and determination. Whatever he does, it’s going to be successful, and it’s going to impact other people.”