Tashoi James graduates this Saturday with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a minor in Commercial Entrepreneurship.
During her time in the college, James has been an active member of multiple prestigious programs, including the college’s Social Science Scholars, Global Citizenship Certificate, and Florida State University’s Institute of Politics (IOP@FSU) Undergraduate Fellows Program.
As a 2021 Social Science Scholar, James helped with community projects such as the grass initiative in Haiti.
“I had the opportunity to work with the Better Universe and Citizens Organization toward its mission to restore Haiti’s vegetation,” James said. “Having the opportunity to use the funding provided through the Social Science Scholars Program to aid this organization, seeing firsthand the consistent progress being made toward its mission, and talking to the residents in Haiti and hearing how grateful they are for the support was very fulfilling. This project was not only impactful in the short term, but I believe that 10 years from now when Haiti’s vegetation is green, I will be able to say I contributed to that change because of FSU.”
Reflecting on the Global Citizen Certificate Program, James said, “The Global Citizenship Certificate helped me understand the world not as a resident but as a visitor. Through the lens of a visitor, the program created a profound understanding of the cultures of different countries through intercultural events.”
James was also a 2021-2022 IOP Fellow. “The IOP fellowship helped me better understand how to use politics to effect social change in our community by meeting with elected officials as part of the institute’s ‘Why We Serve’ initiative.”
She believes that the lessons about leadership she learned as an undergraduate at Florida State will help her be effective in her career path as a lawyer.
“FSU redefined what it means to be a leader for me,” James said. “It taught me that the aptness to lead from behind is as valuable as being a bold leader. As a person who prefers to take a step back from the dominant role, this idea made me realize that you don’t have to have an established position or title to lead effectively. Leading by example is more valuable than commanding others.
Following graduation, James plans to work with the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project to reform government entities that discriminate against race and support unlawful killings and detentions. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors!
To learn more about Social Science Scholars, visit coss.fsu.edu/sociology/social-science-scholars-program. To learn more about FSU’s Political Science program, visit coss.fsu.edu/polisci.