Yonette Thomas
/
October 3, 2021
When I arrived on campus, I was overwhelmed by the peaceful environment – even the squirrels seemed educated. My attitude changed…
Episode Abstract
When I arrived on campus, I was overwhelmed by the peaceful environment – even the squirrels seemed educated. My attitude changed. I enjoyed going to class. I felt a sense of belonging and that I mattered. During my senior year of college, I came across a television program on the Ethiopian famine. After I learned about this devastation and spoke with a professor who asked what I was going to do to help – I applied for a one-year fellowship to travel to Africa. I worked with a community-based organization in Zimbabwe that helped disaffected youth create jobs for themselves or develop skills to be hired. Many of the young me and women were not in school. And just like I was, they too were lost. When I returned to the United States, I was a changed man. I still loved basketball, but I love helping people who need it the most even more. I take pride in being a constant learner who doesn’t discriminate on where that knowledge is obtained. This learning experience started by broadening my perspective.
Meet DR. JOHN GRAHAM
John is the Campus Leader at Potsdam University, SUNY Potsdam.Dr. Graham serves as the Officer-in-Charge at the State University of New York at Potsdam. As the campus leader he provides executive leadership at one of the oldest public higher institutions in the United States. SUNY Potsdam is a comprehensive college comprised of 3,300 undergraduates and post-graduate students that study in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education and Professional Studies and the world-renowned Crane School of Music. Dr. Graham has held several leadership positions during his career most recently serving as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Student Advocate at SUNY and prior to that, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and University Life. He also held faculty appointments and taught in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
