Finalist
Darius Graham
Florida A&M University
Senior in Political Science
3.95 GPA

His fascination with Florida began with a visit to the Magic Kingdom as a boy, and his passion for leadership spawned from a stint as vice president for his elementary school’s Student Council.

Darius Graham, now a student at Florida A&M University, may have outgrown a few things since then, but his knack for leadership isn’t one of them. Over the years, Graham has been a representative for his middle school’s Student Council, student body president at his high school, and is currently attorney general for FAMU’s Student Government Association—but that wasn’t originally the plan.

When Graham, 20, arrived at FAMU from his hometown, Charlotte, N.C., his intentions were to focus solely on his studies. “I never expected to be so involved in campus activities,” he says. “ However, when I saw the need and the opportunity to bring positive change to my university and the surrounding community, I just couldn’t resist the chance to help.”

One of the first leadership roles he took on was with the University Honors Program. Disappointed with the lack of student activities and involvement, Graham tried to help the Honor Student Advisory Council develop new programs—but with no results. He decided to take matters into his own hands. In January 2004, after completing mounds of paperwork and garnering campus support, the Honor Student Association was officially founded with Graham serving as president.

With the new organization came two new programs: Food for Thought and Power Hour. Food for Thought was initiated as a casual lunch held once a month to discuss current events and community issues. The now biweekly lunch features different speakers such as local county commissioners, students, and campus faculty. Power Hour, a daily tutorial service for students, offers help with English, math, science, history, and foreign languages. Students take full advantage of the programs, and the University Honors Program has seen a rise in involvement. “Now we have a large array of students coming in,” says May Ruth Sanders, program coordinator for the University Honors Program. “It’s helped to develop more of a sense of community among honor students, which is great and exactly what we needed.”

Graham’s touch can turn anything to gold, even when it seems there’s not a chance of improvement. When Graham heard that “In the Know,” a news and public affairs radio show, was to be taken off the air, he decided it was time for a new direction. Competing against dozens of students who presented ideas for hip-hop and other music shows, Graham presented his idea: to provide an outlet to inform students of important issues and to hear first hand from influential people. As always, Graham stood apart from the competition. His show has hosted politicians such as Sen. Barack Obama and other influential people such as Cate Edwards, daughter of former Sen. John Edwards. “An innovator at heart, Darius brings to all of his activities new ideas and a fresh approach for fulfilling his responsibilities with unrivaled creativity and energy,” says Ivy Mitchell, director of the University Honors Program. “He has met challenges with a positive attitude and a willingness to work with others to reach a common goal.”

It seems that everyone who meets Graham is immediately impressed with his abilities—including the mayor of Tallahassee. After meeting the mayor while presiding over the 2004 Black History Month Convocation, Graham was offered an internship in his office. Unfortunately, there were scheduling conflicts, so Graham was instead appointed by the mayor to the Community Improvement Advisory Council, where he assists in advising the city on economics, housing, and other issues.

But the city’s advisory council wasn’t Graham’s first taste of politics. Last summer, the Institute for Responsible Citizenship rewarded him for being one of the top male, minority college students in the country. The prize was an internship with the U.S. Department of State and a chance to study at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. During his summer internship, he worked primarily on humanitarian efforts for Southeast Asia. He reviewed grant requests for the Human Rights and Humanitarian Fund and assisted staff with the creation of humanitarian policy for the region. There, Graham’s keen understanding of world issues proved invaluable.

“Darius cares much about his community, and he has a good understanding of the scope and nature of the problems facing America’s communities,” says Dr. Gary R. Paul of FAMU’s political science department. “More importantly, he has committed much time and energy to help improve the plight of marginalized populations in distressed areas.”

This summer, Graham will return to Washington, D.C., to complete another internship as part of the Institute for  Responsible Citizenship’s program. But no matter where he is for the summer, Graham always finds time to help the Anytown Program, sponsored by the National Conference for Community and Justice. For the past four years, Graham has participated in the program for high school students, first as a delegate and last summer as an advisor. The weeklong camp brings different cultures and ethnicities together in hopes of dissolving stereotypes and fostering understanding. “It’s really breaking down the stereotypes that’s so important to me,” Graham says. “The reason why I’ve gone back year after year is because you see such a transformation in the kids from the first day to the end of the week.”

Moving into his second semester as a senior, Graham is beginning to consider his future, which may involve law school. He’s on the right track, having been awarded the Pathway to Law’s Outstanding Student Award for excelling academically and being an active participant in campus pre-law activities. But there’s no need to worry about the possibility of another shady lawyer—after all, he did write the ethics code for FAMU’s SGA. Of course, the natural progression is to move from being a lawyer into elected office, in which Graham says he’s also very interested. Despite the uncertainties about his future, Graham’s sure that he’ll be involved in some kind of humanitarian work, whether it be the Peace Corps, the United Way, or an organization of his own.

“My freshman year I drew this web of different careers that I could have and linked them up,” Graham says. “Out of every scenario, the outcome was that I would have a humanitarian organization or a charitable organization. So that’s really something I want to do, whether I’m politically involved or not.”

For now, his life is a balancing act. Graham juggles his extra-curricular commitments with classes, maintaining a 3.95 cumulative GPA. Although he’ll officially be eligible to graduate in December, he plans to stay an extra semester and is considering the possibility of a double major. With his ever-growing list of credentials, it’s apparent to everyone that Graham’s going places. “He has great skills and abilities, and I do believe that one day he will be somebody that everybody’s going to know,” Sanders says.

Graham supports himself primarily through the Distinguished Scholar Award and the Coleman W. Kerry Scholarship.—MM

Contact Graham at darius1.graham@famu.