"Obtaining my MA degree from AADS has more than paid off for me. I am now the Executive Director of Collaborising, a newly formed non-profit dedicated to the exploration of humanity through social and cultural exchange. My initial interest in the African Diaspora began when I first traveled to Senegal in 2007 and with subsequent visits to Haiti and Jamaica. I could not explain my strong desire to visit the Motherland or to Black spaces until I enrolled in the certificate program in 2013. AADS gave me the chance to delve into the Diaspora and develop critical thinking skills which helped me create the vision for Collaborising. Notwithstanding, I have maintained professional relationships with my former colleagues that have led to mutual collaborations. I highly recommend the MA degree in AADS. You won't be disappointed!"
Lea Murray, President and Founder, Collaborising Inc.
MA in AADS, Class of 2016
"In July 2018, I completed the African and African Diaspora M.A. Program at Florida International University. Pursuing this degree deepened my appreciation for interdisciplinary perspectives on the Black experience and broadened the scope of my research interests. A.A.D.S. incorporates an interdisciplinary approach, as well as highlights transnational relationships throughout the Black Atlantic; it offers the ideal environment that enabled me to advance my research on Black women in Africa and the African diaspora. A.A.D.S also afforded me professional experience through its Teaching Assistantship Program. Moreover, working with a diverse faculty who specialize in the Black experience in the United States, Africa, and Latin America prepared me to embark on a doctoral degree in Atlantic History."
Darlene Westleigh, PhD Student in History, FIU
MA in AADS, Class of 2017
"My name is Dr. Cliff ‘Ubba’ Kodero, and I currently serve as an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Morgan State University. While I hold a Ph.D. in International Relations from FIU, the foundation for my entire academic career was laid during my time in the African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS) master’s program at Florida International University.
I came to the program with degrees in political science and international studies, hailing from Migori County, Kenya. Initially, I was hesitant about pursuing yet another master’s degree. However, my admission to the AADS program—which came with full tuition and a teaching assistantship, and served as the foundation for my Ph.D. funding—presented a unique opportunity to dedicate myself wholly to African and African Diaspora studies. As an African scholar, this specialized focus greatly appealed to me. I am unequivocally glad I accepted, as the program offered rigorous training that immediately clarified my intellectual journey. It didn't just teach theory; it demonstrated how to apply it, particularly in the study of Africa, and expanded my focus to include the history of blackness in global contexts, such as Brazil and Cuba.
The value of the AADS training translated quickly into tangible academic success. The program provided the base material and framework for the research proposal that would eventually become my Ph.D. dissertation on the non-economic rationales for African regional economic communities. Furthermore, AADS was instrumental in helping me publish significant scholarly works, including “Missing Black Voices and the Pan-African Ideal: Interview with Dr. Ubba Kodero by Ava Wong” in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and the chapter, “African Voices and Black Spaces: Confronting Knowledge in White Man’s IR,” published in Palgrave Macmillan’s Handbook of Africa in a Challenging Global Order.
Beyond publication and dissertation support, the AADS program significantly enhanced my marketability and interdisciplinary reach within academia. The teaching assistantships provided a foundation for my understanding of Afro-descended people. They prepared me to teach specialized classes later in my career, such as Global Race and Diaspora, and the Political Economy of Development, at institutions including the College of Idaho and Morgan State, as well as college writing for inner-city learners at Rutgers University. The program also helped me secure grants from organizations like the Clark-Alonso Foundation. Even my public engagement—like starting The Ubba Kodero Show on YouTube, where I offer African perspectives on global issues—is directly informed by the interdisciplinary approach I learned in AADS.
Perhaps most importantly, AADS fostered an environment of proper mentorship and lasting community. I benefited immensely from the guidance of outstanding faculty, including Dr. Hilary Jones, Dr. Andrea Queely, and Dr. John Clark. I developed strong, lifelong friendships with peers like Zablon Mgonja, Fiacre, and Michael Aboagye. The AADS program didn't just grant me a degree; it provided the intellectual scaffolding, the professional tools, and the deep personal relationships that continue to inform my inquiry today."
Cliff "Ubba" Kodero, PhD student in Politics and International Relations, FIU
MA in AADS, Class of 2018