I am a PhD candidate at Princeton University’s History department. My research centers on the history of infectious skin diseases, specifically leprosy and yaws, in twentieth century West Africa. This implies that I work closely with local communities whose lives have been and continues to be impacted by these diseases in peculiar ways. My dissertation not only explores comparatively the intricate dynamics of leprosy control and public health politics through the lens of law, state policy, legislation, and surveillance in Nigeria and the Gold Coast, but also privileges the individual African experience of and response to colonial medical control across spaces.

My experiential learning experience has provided a valuable opportunity for me reflect on my interests and strengths, build versatile skills that can be applied across various contexts, and gain clarity on my post-graduate studies career goals. While research, writing, critical thinking, and analysis are worthwhile  talents that I have acquired and developed progressively during my graduate studies at Princeton, they have been very transferable to real life or public-facing situations outside the walls of the university. The GradFUTURES professional development programs are designed to help us see just how advantageous, fundamental, and appealing these skills are to potential employers.

I first connected with GradFUTURES during my first year as a Ph.D student in the fall of 2020. Ever since, I have participated in several learning cohorts that are intended to not only help graduate students discover new strengths and abilities to succeed in graduate school but create futures that are unashamedly and fully theirs.

I frequently find myself thinking about my professional life outside university walls, and connecting with GradFUTURES for a long time and very recently through the Social Impact Fellowship has been career-changing and has proved to be super worthwhile for further reflection on the matter. As far as I can tell, GradFUTURES continues to have a significant impact on my own work and my career trajectory as a whole.