Though Dr. Terrell L. Strayhorn considered a career in medicine among many others as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, some of his childhood experiences foreshadowed his eventual career path to The Ohio State University, where he is an associate professor in the School of Educational Policy and Leadership.
“There was once a Terrell Strayhorn who was 10 who would rather stay inside and write than go outside and play with friends, or who would rather pretend to be teaching to imaginary friends in his bedroom than go play football,” Strayhorn says. “So in a way, this academic life fit very well with my own personal interests and the way I like to have fun.”
A prolific writer, award-winning researcher and a tenured professor by 30, Strayhorn has authored or edited in excess of 30 journal articles, books and book chapters, including The Evolving Challenges Of Black College Students: New Insights For Practice And Research.
A $500,000 NSF CAREER Award Strayhorn received in 2008 is supporting his research project titled, “Investigating the Critical Junctures: Strategies that Broaden Minority Participation in STEM Fields.” All in all, this project fits in squarely with the bulk of Strayhorn’s research, dedicated to identifying and removing retention and persistence roadblocks for minority college students.
