Doctoral student Jimmy Davis has worked to make UGA a better place for minority students. He wrote and received a grant from the American Psychological Association in the summer of 2003 to help develop a mentoring program for minority undergraduate psychology majors at UGA and has worked as an instructor/tutor for UGA’s Upward Bound Program. He is president of the minority graduate student program at UGA and has taught SAT prep sessions for high school students at both Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School, a job for which he should be well-suited since he has been writing SAT questions since 2001.
Hometown:
Harlem, New York
High School:
St. Andrew’s School
Degree objective:
Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Other degrees:
M.S., Psychology, University of Georgia, 2004
B.A., Psychology, Morehouse College, 2002
Expected graduation:
May 2006
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I am currently the president of the Graduate and Professional Scholars (GAPS) which is the minority graduate student association here at UGA. I am very proud of this achievement, as GAPS has grown in its activity and reach to minority graduate and professional students across the UGA campus. I am also the 2004-2005 recipient of the J.W. Fanning Leadership Award, given for proven leadership among graduate students, the first award given of this kind. I have also won the Best Paper award in the Business Category of the 2005 National Black Graduate Student Conference. I have served as chairperson of the Prospective Student Committee for my department (2002-2004) and as a representative to the Graduate Student Advisory Board.
Current Employment:
Besides graduate school duties I have 3 jobs. I am currently consulting with The Home Depot in Talent Management (Human Resources) where I am developing a series of “career maps” to define career paths in all parts of the organization.
I also work HumRRO, the Human Resources Research Organization, where I am an O*NET Analyst. My duties with HumRRO are to analyze jobs and determine the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities needed for different occupations.
Finally, I am an SAT item writer. I write questions for the verbal section of the SAT-1 and have been doing so since 2001.
I chose to attend UGA because…
…the industrial/organizational psychology program at UGA is one of the top in the country. I visited the campus. The students were great, and I knew this would be a good place for me to get my graduate education. Since I started, I have never regretted my decision. I am active in getting more students to consider UGA as a choice for graduate school.
When I have free time, I like…
…to play basketball and golf, read, travel, go to plays, museums and hang out with friends.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…gone whitewater rafting down the 1996 Olympic course in Tennessee. It was so much fun that a group of friends and I went back five more times.
My favorite place to study is…
…in my office on campus. It is the only place where I can close the door and really concentrate, especially on the weekends when no one is on campus. Anywhere else, I end up talking to someone else, watching television, or listening to music instead of studying.
My favorite professor is…
…Kecia Thomas. After I got accepted to UGA, we met at a conference where she took the time to seriously sell UGA to me. I trusted her, and she has not let me down since. I really enjoy her classes and the work that we do together since she is my major professor. She is an excellent role model and really takes the time to develop all of her students. I have benefited greatly from our relationship.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Mary Frances Early. Mrs. Early was the first African American to receive a degree from the University of Georgia. I have had the chance to sit and talk with her about what it was like to be a student here during those times and her stories are amazing. It would be great to spend more time with her.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
…help create the largest scholarship fund in America. I would love to give the opportunity of college, graduate school or even trade school to people who could not afford it otherwise. I think that you just need one break to get you going in life.
After graduation, I plan to…
…go into consulting in human resources in corporate America, particularly in the areas of career development and executive coaching for minorities. I plan to help companies embrace their most valuable resource, the human being. I want to make people’s work lives more successful and happier.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…the first time I tried to come to campus and do work during a home football game. I did not realize how much people loved the UGA football team, nor did I realize I would not be able to make it to my office or parking lot on campus during those weekends. I have never made that mistake again! Now I just go to the games like everyone else.