The Sway | February 2025

Bison Trailblazers | Donald Long

by Anna De Cheke Qualls | Donald Long is not one to shy away from a challenge. Concurrent to his PhD work in Atmospheric Sciences, Long teaches full-time in Baltimore City’s Graceland Park/O'Donnell Heights Elementary Middle School. He is as passionate about weather as about education.

By day, Long preps for classes, corrects assignments, engages with colleagues and parents. By night he is a doctoral student advancing his own research and working on plans to establish a middle school science program at the Howard University's Beltsville Research Campus.

“I never thought I would be a teacher, but after doing some tutoring in undergrad and grad school, some TA work, and a lot of K-12 outreach as a student intern at the National Weather Service, it sort of hit me one day. So I decided to apply, try it out. I have loved it though it is incredibly hard work every day,” says Long. 

Word to the Wise | Miriam Hagan

by India Crowe | Miriam Hagan’s first taste of laboratory work began in her mother’s kitchen. Meticulously peeling onions, unwrapping bouillon cubes, and handing over pots were her main assignments, all while watching her mother’s precise movements. As Hagan increased in skill, her mother increased the difficulty of her tasks until she had to prepare a meal for the toughest critic yet: her father. Hagan recognized this as an opportunity to experiment, fusing her fresh creativity with the nostalgic Nigerian traditions of her grandmother’s recipes. From plating to flavor, the meal met her father’s high standards and established Hagan’s standards for excellence, creativity, and nutrition.

Bison Trailblazers | Howard Alum to Contribute to White House Climate Report

by Daliah Ouedraogo | Howard University alum Dr. Cassandra Jean has been nominated and selected as a participating author in the upcoming White House Climate Assessment Report, bringing their sociological expertise on diversifying climate and disaster scholarship to this crucial national initiative. As Climate Resilience Specialist, they will be among several authors who contribute to shaping the nation's climate understanding and response to climate challenges.

The White House Climate Assessment Report, is a comprehensive scientific report that provides decision-makers in Congress, state and government officials, and interested individuals to engage with the current climate-related work throughout the United States, including the territories and tribal communities. The entire report will take about three years to complete. It is slated for publication in late 2028.

Word to the Wise | Dr. Nicole Dezrea Jenkins

By Anna De Cheke Qualls | Dr. Nicole Dezrea Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University, has been selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean's Fellowship at Harvard University for 2024-2025. As a fellow, Jenkins is spending this academic year at Harvard, focusing on completing her forthcoming book, Twisted Entanglements: Navigating the Paradox of Sisterhood and Systems of Power in Black Beauty Spaces, under contract with Princeton University Press. The book draws from two years of ethnographic research conducted in a Las Vegas African hair braiding salon and delves into the complexities of identity-making and Black spaces among Black women in the U.S.