The Seattle Black College Fair

"Creating a Blueprint for Educational Excellence: a panel of alumni discussing their experiences"

Keisha Lee, Dillard University, New Orleans, Lousiana
Major: International Business and Japanese Studies

A graduate of Dillard University with a degree in International Business and Japanese Studies, Kesha has lived in London and has traveled throughout ten countries. A native of Alabama, her experience volunteering as a consultant for two years with Junior Achievement, Inc. in the New Orleans Public School district inspired and solidified her passion for working with youth and exposing them to opportunities traditionally underrepresented in the public school system. Kesha is the current Director of Student Services at OneWorld Now! (a global leadership program for high school students in Seattle) and a senior fellow with the International Institute for Public Policy (IIPP), a United Negro College Fund Special program. She has been featured in ESSENCE magazine and currently sits on the Seattle Human Rights
Commission via the Get Engaged Program. She is a member of the Seattle Urban League’s Young Professionals organization and serves as Chair of the Education Committee. Prior to moving to Seattle, Kesha served in the Multicultural Affairs office at Manchester College as Assistant Director for Multicultural Affairs where she managed all aspects of campus diversity programming and advised five multicultural student groups.

Phoebe Magruder, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama
Major: Political Science

Phoebe Magruder, a native of South Central Los Angeles, California attended Tuskegee University from 1995 – 1999. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, however her passion and drive lead her to a career in Software Engineering. Her passion for this field began with a Federal work study position in the University computer lab and unfolded into internship offers and upon graduation several job offers in IT and Software Engineering Fields. Prior to graduation from Tuskegee, Phoebe accepted an offer from Microsoft Corporation. During her six years of employment at Microsoft she has worked on Microsoft Word, the beta project for Microsoft OneNote and her current team Internet Explorer. Currently Phoebe is a Software Design Engineer in Test Lead at Microsoft Corporation.

Bernard Morgan, North Carolina A&T State University
Major: Marketing and Transportation

Bernard Morgan, a native of North Carolina, graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with undergraduate degrees in Marketing, and Transportation. While attending A&T, Morgan earned a scholarship, academic honors, and joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. These were great times, Bernard learned a lot, created lasting friendships, and established the course of his life that he's currently living. His professional experiences include marketing roles with Sears, General Motors, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Caterpillar, Intel, and currently, Microsoft. Along the way, Morgan earned a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Management Consulting, and also, Global Supply Chain Operations.

Dana L. Norwood, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee Alabama
Major: BS Aerospace Engineering

Dana graduated from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle and attended Tuskegee University located in Tuskegee, AL.. After graduation, he started working at the Boeing Company in Everett, Washington. I have been there approximately seven and one-half years. While there Norwood has worked in the commercial airplane propulsion division. Mostly working in the twin aisle (747/767/777) fuel systems design, including several special programs for system safety. Since returning to the area Norwood has made an effort to volunteer when and where he can to
encourage students to realize the importance of academic success.

LaTasha D. Taylor, Tennessee State University
Major: Technical Communications/Astrobiology

After receiving her bachelor's degree in Aeronautics and Industrial Technology with a minor in Biology, at Tennessee State University, LaTasha decided to take her career a step further by attending graduate school at the University of Washington. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Technical Communications and Astrobiology. Her research goals include the development of educational web tools using multimedia programming and user interface design. As one of the few African-American women in her department, LaTasha plans to capitalize on the opportunities presented to her by recruiting more underrepresented minorities to fields within science and technology.

Marc Philpart, Xavier University
Major: History

Marc Philpart, a native of South Central Los Angeles, CA, graduated from Xavier University of LA with an undergraduate degree in History. While attending Xavier, Marc, an asthmatic, earned an athletic scholarship for running Cross-Country. He was also the recipient of numerous academic scholarships and graduated with Honors in English. Along with these major accomplishments, Marc became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and presided over the college chapter of the NAACP. Marc is currently a graduate student at the University of Washington earning masters degress in public administration and public health. His academic interests focus on community development and public and private partnerships. He hopes to complete his studies in June of 2007.