Class Of 2009

MICHAEL R. BRITT

Amherst College
Michael R. Britt majored in Mathematics at Amherst College while pursuing an interdisciplinary thesis in education policy. In his junior year, Michael volunteered for the Obama campaign while pursuing advanced studies in urban education at UC-Berkeley. A national finalist for the Truman Scholarship, Michael served in many notable positions on campus, including class chair of the Student Senate and student representative for the Amherst College Board of Trustees. Michael also co-founded Homeless Connect, a Five College network of initiatives that address issues of local poverty. During the summer of 2007, he volunteered for the Boston Upward Bound Program, providing college guidance to first-generation students. As an Institute for Responsible Citizenship Scholar, he interned at the office of the late Senator Edward Kennedy. Michael intends to become a public school teacher and subsequently pursue a Masters of Education and JD degree concentrating in Education Policy.

RICHARD I. BROWN

Cedarville University
Richard I. Brown majored in Political Science at Cedarville University, where he also minored in Speech Communication and Bible . At his previous institution, the College of Mount Saint Joseph, Richard was a member of the Student Government Association and the Communications Club. He entered the college as a member of the varsity basketball team but left the team after his freshman year to devote his full attention to his academic pursuits. In the future, he intends to be an advocate for juvenile offenders. As an Institute scholar, Ricky interned at the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs during his first summer. He spent his second summer interning for Casey Family Programs.

MARIO J. CARROLL

University of California—Berkeley
Mario J. Carroll double majors in Political Science and Rhetoric at the University of California—Berkeley. A Leadership Award Scholar, Mario is a residential assistant on campus and serves as a mentor to middle school students through the M3 Sports Academy. He is co-chair of the 100 College Black Men organization and a member of the Black Pre-Law Society. In 2009, Mario was named National Alpha Phi Alpha Collegiate Brother of the Year by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for his community involvement and academic achievements. After establishing a successful legal practice, Mario aspires to become a politician. At the Institute, Mario interned at the office of Senator Diane Feinstein in 2008. The following year, he interned for the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) in Washington. Mario returned to the Institute in 2010 after being selected to serve as the Institute’s summer fellow.

ERIC M. CHARITY

Pennsylvania State University
Eric M. Charity majored in International Politics at Pennsylvania State University. A student-athlete during his freshman year, Eric managed to become one of the top two jumpers on the track and field team, while earning a spot on the Dean’s List for his academic achievements. He is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. In the future, Eric hopes to practice law. He currenty attends law school at the College of William and Mary. During his first year at the Institute, Eric interned at the Committee on Homeland Security. He spent his final summer interning at Invizion, Inc. in McLean, Virginia.

ASHTON CLARK

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ashton Clark majored in Finance and Accountancy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A successful and young entrepreneur, he has established several successful on-line businesses such as 247Mixtapes.com, Ludakicks.com, and Hostivo.com. He is a Management Leadership for Tomorrow Scholar and a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honors Society. In his free time, he coaches youth soccer. Ashton is currently employed at Accenture. Ashton spent both of his summers interning at KPMG in New York, where he worked in the firm’s marketing department.

JORDAN E. CLARK

Northeastern University
Jordan E. Clark double majors in African American Studies and Political Science at Northeastern University. Among his accomplishments, Jordan placed first in the Dean Roland E. Latham Oratory Competition and first in the African American Institute Quiz Bowl. He is the recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Leadership Award and is a Legacy Mentor to underclassmen on campus. He is a 2010 scholar of the Ralph Bunche Institute and was a participant of the Training and Recruitment Initiative for Admission to Leading Law Schools (TRIALS) program. He aspires to attend law school. During his first summer at the Institute, Jordan interned at the office of the late Senator Edward Kennedy. He interned at the White House in 2009.

BRIAN A. HORTON

Texas Tech University
Brian A. Horton studied Geography and Political Science at Texas Tech University, where he was a member of the Honors College. Brian’s enjoyment for debate was evident in his involvement with his campus’ speech and debate team, where he served as the team historian. He has volunteered as a peer coach to his former high school’s speech and debate team and enjoys judging high school speech tournaments as well. In 2006, he was runner-up for the Texas Forensics Association State Championship in original oratory and is a Texas Intercollegiate State Champion in communication analysis. In 2010, Brian and his partner were named tournament champions by the National Parliamentary Debate Association. He recently accepted a teaching position through for Teach for America. During his first summer at the Institute, Brian interned for the US Environmental Protection Agency. In his final summer, he interned for Common Vocabulary.

AARON M. HUTCHERSON

Johnson C. Smith University
Aaron Hutcherson majored in Communication Arts at Johnson C. Smith University, where he served as president of the honor society. In addition to establishing an outstanding academic record, the Florida native has received much recognition for his talents on the tennis court, including All-CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association). In high school, he was a member of a state championship team. During the summer of 2007, Aaron served as a counselor at the Nike Tennis Camp in Lawrenceville, NJ. During his first summer at the Institute, Aaron interned at Regular Folks United. In his final summer, he interned for CBS News the Early Show. In the future, Aaron wants to work in media to affect the way issues and images are portrayed.

DEMETRIUS R. LANCASTER

James Madison University
Demetrius Lancaster was a Public Policy and Administration major at James Madison University, where he was a student in the Honors Program. Demetrius served as director of the Contemporary Gospel Singers on campus and also co-founded a Bible study group. He was also a volunteer math tutor for high school students in the surrounding community. In 2007, he worked as a counselor at a Christian summer camp in Pennsylvania. He hopes to become a public administrator in the future. As an Institute scholar, Demetrius interned at the Children’s Law Center.

RYAN A. LEWIS

Georgia Southern University
Ryan A. Lewis aspires to be a forensic accountant after completing his bachelor’s degree in Accounting at Georgia Southern University. He serves as a senator in the Student Government Association, as treasurer of the Gamma Beta Phi National Honor Society, and is an executive board member for the National Association of Black Accountants. When Ryan is not on campus, he is working as an associate at the Parker Companies, a Georgia oil company. Ryan is a native of Jonesboro, Georgia. Ryan participated in the KPMG Scholars Program, as part of a partnership formed between the Institute and KPMG. He interned at KPMG’s headquarters in New York.

MICHAEL D. MITCHELL II

University of Connecticut
Michael Mitchell majored in Economics and Political Science in the University of Connecticut Honors Program, where was a Four Year Academic Excellence Scholarship awardee. In high school, Michael lettered in three sports and qualified for the Connecticut State Championship while in track and field, earning the National Youth Leadership Conference Scholarship upon admission to UConn. He was a member of the Multi-Cultural Business Club on campus and seeks a career in economics or finance after his studies are over. In his spare time, Michael enjoys writing and has published several poems. In his first summer as an Institute scholar, Michael interned at the office of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The following summer, he was accepted into the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program at Princeton University.

O. EMEKA NWABUZOR

Tufts University
Emeka Nwabuzor majored in Philosophy at Tufts University. On campus, he served on the Committee on Student Life and was an executive board member of the Model United Nations Team. Through his experience on the Model UN team, Emeka served as assistant director of the National High School Model UN Conference in New York in 2008, and volunteered for the UN Association of Greater Boston’s middle school conference. He was also a member of the College Awareness Day Planning Committee, which holds information sessions for high school students in the Boston area. In 2007, the Connecticut native interned at the offices of his U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative. He aspires to a career in law. During his first summer at the Institute, Emeka interned for Africare. In 2009, he interned at the Scowcroft Group.

ANTHONY A. PHILLIPS

Bates College
Anthony Phillips majored in African American Studies and Philosophy at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. At Bates, his campus involvement included serving as a student representative for the College Lecture Committee, a Diversity Outreach Coordinator, and moderator for the African American Studies Club. Anthony also studied at Morehouse College as a 2008-2009 visiting student. For his involvement as a chapel assistant at both Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, Anthony was recognized by the Morehouse Maroon Tiger Newspaper as junior of the year. He is currently studying at Yale Divinity School. During his first summer with the Institute, Anthony interned with Africare. In his second summer, through the Smithsonian Institution Minority Awards program, he interned with the Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum, where he researched the historical development of Houses of Worship in Southeast DC.

DENNIS PICKENS, JR.

University of Mississippi
Dennis Pickens, Jr. was a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi, where he majored in Accounting. As a member of the Honor’s College, Dennis was awarded a fellowship to study at the London School of Economics during the summer of 2007. A recipient of the McCarty Accounting and Academic Excellence Scholarships, Dennis served his campus as a university ambassador and as secretary of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. In 2007, he was also one of ten Americans to participate in the Merrill Lynch Atlantic Fellowship Program, where he served as an ambassador for the company in London. He hopes to obtain a JD, serve as an in-house counsel for an investment bank, and eventually work for the Department of Treasury as an undersecretary. He is currently completing a Master of Accountancy at Ole Miss before applying to law school. During his first summer in the Institute, Dennis interned with KPMG. During his second summer, he interned with Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Capital Markets.

JASON W. PRICE

University of Southern California
Jason Price majored in Business and Finance at the University of Southern California. Although he was a collegiate athlete in varsity track and field, he managed to find the time to earn excellent grades and mentor underprivileged children through the Joint Educational Product. He was also a Management for Leadership of Tomorrow scholar. Jason currently works on Wall Street. During his first summer with the Institute, Jason interned at the Washington Area Coummunity Investment Fund.

CHRISTOPHER J. ROBINS

Northwestern University
Christopher Robins majored in Political Science and African American Studies at Northwestern University, where he was a Robert T. O’Donovan Scholar. Christopher earned the John B. Kirk Award for excellence in debate and was active in Northwestern’s high school Debate Institute as both a resident assistant and assistant dorm director. Christopher would like to acquire his JD and work as legal officer for a financial services firm. During his first summer at the Institute, Christopher interned for Friedman, Billings, Ramsey, Inc. He interned for Promontory Financial Group the following summer, where he accepted a job offer.

RAMMY M. SALEM

Cornell University
Rammy M. Salem majored in Government and Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University. As a member of the Cornell Student Assembly, Rammy served as the minority liaison for the undergraduate class, liaison to the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, and chair of the Residential and Community Life Committee. He also served on the Environmental Committee of the Student Assembly. Rammy has also volunteered as a tutor for grade school children and at the local YMCA in Ithaca. During the summer of 2007, he traveled to South Africa as a youth ambassador and took part in extracurricular and enrichment activities with school children. He hopes to become a U.S. ambassador in the future. During the summer of 2008, Rammy interned for the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The following summer, he interned at the Center for American Progress.

WARREN C. SEAY, JR.

Southern Methodist University
Warren Seay attended Southern Methodist University, where he was a Ray and Nancy Ann Hunt Leadership Scholar and Political Science major. Warren served as a Big Brother in the north Texas area and earned Big Brother of the Year honors. He also volunteered as a mentor for the Dallas Community Lighthouse, a non-profit geared toward assisting at-risk youth. In 2009, Warren was awarded the Truman Scholarship for his commitment to public service. In the same year, he also became the youngest elected official in Dallas County history when he won a seat on the DeSoto Independent School District Board of Trustees. In the future, he hopes to become a campaign strategist and education reform advocate. He is currently a first year student at SMU Dedman School of Law. While with the Institute, Warren interned with the Department of Labor and the Montgomery County Schools Board of Education.

JOSHUA D. XAVIER

New York University
Joshua D. Xavier studied Communications at New York University. In high school, Joshua was named Man of the Year and served as student body president. A former editor for his high school paper, he also served as a circulation assistant for the Washington Square News. Joshua’s extracurricular activities included acting, where he has five musical-theatre productions to his credit, and peer educating for the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs. In 2007, he worked in the New York City Urban Project (NYCUP) spring break community service initiative. During his first summer at the Institute, Joshua enjoyed two internship experiences on Capitol Hill: one at the office of his home state senator, the Honorable Jack Reed (D-RI), and the other at the office of Congressman Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ). The following summer, he interned at Mayor’s Office of DC.

NICHOLAS WASHINGTON

University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Nicholas Washington studied Accounting at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he received several awards for his academic excellence and leadership on campus, including the Executive Leadership Council’s Award for Excellence in Business Commentary and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Scholarship. On campus, Nicholas served as a supplemental instructor for the UMES Action Program, where he developed study plans for his peers. In 2009, Nicholas was a finalist for the Jamaica Rhodes Scholarship. Nicholas participated in the KPMG Summer Scholars Program in New York, where he accepted a job offer after completing the program.

JOHN C. YORK

North Carolina State University
John York majored in Textile Technology at North Carolina State University. On campus, John helped to promote his chosen major to prospective students as a Textile Ambassador. In addition, he provided mentorship to first year students as a university ambassador. He was a member of the Textile Entrepreneurs Club and Tompkins Textile Student Council. In 2007, John served as a counselor for the African American Symposium. He hopes to become an entrepreneur and serve his community as an ordained minister. During his first summer as an Institute scholar, John interned for TV-One. In his final summer, he interned at Alfred Street Baptist Church.

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​Class Of 2009