“If you have a dream, never let go of that dream. Align yourself with positive people that will support you and keep moving forward,” said Michael Edwards, Doctor of Engineering and an Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) alumnus, when asked what advice he has for current scholars. This advice is tried and true for Edwards — while pursuing his doctorate, he learned firsthand the importance of holding on tightly to a dream and persevering in the face of unexpected challenges.
A portrait of Michael Edwards, D.Eng., who is a physical scientist in NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and a 2002 EPP/MSI Graduate Sciences Program alumnus. A quote next to his portrait reads "Everything is a challenge, but challenges are there to bring out the best in us ... If you want to get it, work hard and you can attain it." (Image credit: Graphic by NOAA Office of Education. Photo courtesy of Michael Edwards.)
Michael Edwards joined the EPP/MSI Graduate Sciences Program (GSP) in 2002 as a master's student at the City College of New York. In 2005, after completing his degree, he joined NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey. By 2007, he was working at the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science as a physical scientist monitoring emerging contaminants, like pharmaceuticals and pesticides, in the Great Lakes.
In 2014, Edwards was working full-time at NOAA and also acting as the primary caregiver for his mother, who was ill, but he knew he wanted to go back to school. So he began his doctoral program at Morgan State University in the Department of Civil Engineering. A typical week for him involved working four 10-hour days, followed by an hour-long drive to attend evening classes. This schedule was grueling, but Edwards says he owes his ability to get through it to his support system including his family, EPP/MSI program leadership, fellow program alumni, and mentors.
Edwards said that EPP/MSI played a vital role in his career path by giving young Black scientists like him an opportunity to join the federal workforce and providing financial support to complete their degrees. Edwards started the GSP with a cohort of five students which, he said, was a tight knit group. “GSP was an intimate and unique program. We all supported each other ...” said Edwards. While there were both Ph.D. and master's students in his cohort, they all knew they’d one day be called “Doctor.”
Last year, the cohort fulfilled their promise when Edwards joined his peers in earning a doctoral degree. He received his doctorate in environmental engineering, making him the first person to earn a doctoral degree from the Department of Civil Engineering at Morgan State University.
I am not here by myself, and I have not reached this point in my life by myself. I am standing on the shoulders of giants … [who] are strong, Black women.
Ultimately, Edwards attributes his success in life and his career to women like his mother and the EPP/MSI Program team. "I am not here by myself, and I have not reached this point in my life by myself. I am standing on the shoulders of giants … [who] are strong, Black women," said Edwards. He recognizes that without this support system he would not be where he is today, and the most important thing to him now is to pay it forward.
One of the ways Edwards pays it forward is by mentoring EPP/MSI undergraduate scholars. Edwards now mentors EPP/MSI undergraduate scholars. As a mentor, Edwards makes sure to pass along the advice that got him where he is today: “Everything is a challenge, but challenges are there to bring out the best in us. Never give up if you believe in something. If you want to get it, work hard and you can attain it.”
Although his journey was not an easy one, Edwards always rose to the challenge and put his best foot forward. With this approach and the encouragement of a positive support system, he not only persevered, but excelled.
