First Gen Feature!

From first-gen student to doctoral degree holder, Devonte White has earned his spot as 1st Gen Class’ feature for the week! 

With a Bachelor’s in Criminology, a Master’s in Criminal Justice, and now a PhD. in Administration of Justice, Dr. White thankfully shared his story with me in an exclusive interview.

We started off talking about our shared experience with volunteerism, where his time as a Student Mentor for John G Riley Elementary allowed him to both help underprivileged youth and realize his passion for the justice system, where the professor in charge of the project had such an impact on him, that White wanted to have on others later in life.

“I grew up in Florida, but both my parents came from Jamaica, so I’m first gen for college, yeah, and also a first-gen American.”

Dr. Devonte White

We bonded even more when we got to why he chose the criminal justice major in the first place: He was terrified of math(and I sucked at it)! Criminology, he pointed out, allowed for more liberal arts classes instead of harder math-based courses. That, and he came from a family of police and correctional officers. This led him to his undergrad, Florida State University, where his toughest professor pushed for White to continue his studies at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University for his Master’s. These experiences led to him expanding his network(we’ve discussed that on here many times before) that allowed him to move to Texas for his doctoral program, staying six months before having to make any payments(the benefit of having connections, right?).

As someone looking into PhD programs myself, I wanted to know: What’s it like ‘at the top’? To him, the program felt like family, where student aid was readily available coursework was reasonably tough, and had mentors to guide him through the areas he didn’t always understand.

“I started when I was 22, so work could get overwhelming at times. My ‘Why’ pushed me though, having two younger brothers to be an example for…Lotta hard work and perseverance, but all worth it to be a positive impact…you don’t need to be the best athlete or rapper or stereotypes people label black men as. With a little work in the classroom, you can do amazing things!”

Dr. Devonte White

Tackling the issue of the school-to-prison pipeline, he breaks down how the Ray Rice situation expanded his interest in crimes and their correlation with sports, a major part of his research in grad school. For the man who “never thought [I’d] be called ‘doctor’ at 27”, it’s been a crazy experience.

Discussing his first-generation college experience seemed to pile on to what we already had in common.

“We come to school, we don’t have resources…they provide many of these[resources], but it was a culture shock for me at first.”

For some students, college is their first long-term period away from home, and being alone in an unfamiliar environment can wear a person down. 

“You have to become your own person. For me, my biggest thing was I was always scared I would flunk out…that actually kept me studying up late at night.”

That, and Dr. White also advised, “Finding that balance of social life but also, work has to be done/ People think you stay in the library and study day after day, every day….Join some clubs, Greek life, sports, find your niche.”

I loved talking with Devonte White, and before we let him go asked for some tips of the trade before we signed off. He didn’t disappoint:

• Submit work early so as to not fall behind.
• Speak to teachers to build your network.
• Get recommendations in advance for graduation, internship, and job openings.
• Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!

And that’s what 1st Gen Class is all about.

Congratulations, Dr. White! The world is much better having an educator who knows and cares as you do, and we’ll be watching for all that you accomplish in the near future!