2021 Graduate Achievement Award recipient
“My research, focused on rural economic development efforts in the Alabama Black Belt, has only added to my plans to work with and for local communities in the future. I am applying to jobs in my home state of Alabama, focusing on positions in economic and community development roles, public relations, and fund development in the nonprofit sector.
“Conversations and interviews with individuals and local organizations helped me delve further. The thesis project led me to conclude that, even if local efforts aren’t always successful in the traditional sense, sometimes the shift in mindset can be just as valuable.”