The HayesXChange

Jonathan Quarles is a global entrepreneur and angel investor from Flint, Michigan. The author of the new book "Making Dollars while Making Change," Jonathan started his journey toward global citizenship as a scholarship student at FAMU. After studying abroad in South Africa, Jonathan was able to secure spots in government-funded international exchange programs that allowed him to see the world and gain critical cultural competency and public diplomacy skills. He is the founder of the BTL Group and a board member of Global Ties U.S.

Avonda Fogan and Mycal Ford met in Washington, D.C., as recent graduates who had shared experiences studying abroad in Asia. Now as members of the executive team for the Black China Caucus, the two Mandarin speakers, who both have a wealth of regional experience, are on a mission to increase representation of Black professionals in Asian affairs and to elevate the voices of the Caucus’ global membership network. In this episode of The HayesXChange podcast, Avonda and Mycal talk about how, despite their humble beginnings, they amassed multiple study abroad opportunities, scholarships, and national fellowships like the Boren, the Critical Language Scholarship, and the Fulbright.

Earl Carr is a man who believes in seizing every opportunity.  From learning Mandarin and Japanese as a college student to facilitating opportunities for U.S. students to experience Asia, Earl has a passion for giving back while sharing his own personal and unique background.  He received his undergraduate degree from The College of William & Mary and studied abroad in China, Taiwan, and Japan before obtaining his Master’s degree in International Affairs from American University.  Outside of work, Mr. Carr is involved in the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR).

Vannary Kong grew up in Indiana as the daughter of a Cambodian mother and an African American father.   After securing internships in international and multilateral organizations, Vannary became a United States Youth Delegate to the G-20 Summit in Tokyo, Japan.  She is a research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace and the founder of the US-ASEAN Youth Council, an organization that seeks to develop the pipeline for diverse students to gain internships and experience in the Asia-Pacific.

Mark Akpaninyie is not going to miss a good thing twice. After opting out of a study abroad trip to Madrid his junior year at Duke, he soon realized that he had missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime. The son of Nigerian immigrants, admiration for his parents work ethic and sacrifices propelled Mark toward campus leadership and community service. After graduation, he spent two years as a Teach for China Fellow in a rural tobacco village in the Yunnan province, where he learned the capacity for human adaptability in the face of a totally foreign environment. Mark is the co-founder of the Black China Caucus and an Asia Policy Analyst on Capitol Hill.

Chadwick Eason was a Mechanical Engineering student at Harvard University when he started studying Japanese as a foreign language. After participating in multiple study abroad programs and internships in different parts of Asia, he landed a job at Samsung Electronics in South Korea, where he would spend more than four years as a working professional. Chadwick is the co-founder of the National Association for Black Engagement with Asia (NABEA), a collective that supports Black professionals who engage with Asia. He works at one of the top management consulting firms in the United States.

Jomar Floyd leveraged his campus involvement in environmental advocacy to travel for the first time as a working professional representing the National Wildlife Federation at the Conference of Parties for the Paris Climate Agreement.  Jomar’s experience in Paris filled him with a renewed desire to study abroad and within a year he enrolled in graduate school in Germany to study sustainable finance.  Though he was unable to study abroad as an undergraduate, Jomar is proof of the adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Before the foreign language skills, before the internships, before the first assignment abroad, there was a love story that began on the campus of Florida A&M University. The founders of the HayesXChange, in their second installment to the podcast, discuss the influence of study abroad opportunities and international affairs programs on their career path. Against the backdrop of their personal love story, the founders demonstrate how they are navigating life abroad as a diplomatic couple.

Paris Proctor enrolled at Florida A&M University with one goal in mind: to have a complete college experience free of regret. After participating in several organizations on campus, she realized that there was one thing she had not yet attempted: studying abroad. A visit to FAMU's Office of International Education led to Paris receiving a grant to travel to Brazil and to learn Portuguese. She was later able to leverage her language skills to volunteer in a missionary camp with iReachAfrica in Portuguese-speaking Mozambique. After her experiences abroad, Paris founded A Touch of Heart, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to community service.

Only a few years after graduation, collegiate athlete and Orlando native Samdi Fraser traded in his track cleats to start a new life in Colombia.  In this episode of the HayesXChange, Samdi shares the risks and rewards of becoming a teacher and education entrepreneur in a small town outside of the capital city of Bogota.  Along the way, he discovers his own Latin American roots and learns to master the Spanish language by immersing himself in the culture.