Lamar University will commemorate Black History Month with a series of events organised and sponsored by a range of organisations, departments, and clubs that highlight and honour the achievements of African Americans and significant events in US history.
Dr Lucy Tsado, assistant professor of criminal justice, originally from Nigeria, is one of those honoured by the institution, and she explains what she is most proud of as a Black woman in her career field.
Dr Tsado, who studied at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Kaduna State, Nigeria, where she bagged a BSc degree in Accounting before moving to the United States, said in an interview that celebrating Black History Month helps us remember what history has taught us.
“It helps us embrace diversity. It helps us understand the sacrifices that those who went before us made to get us where we are now,” she said.
Dr Tsado, who is in the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice of the university, explained that success means different things to different people while responding to the question of what motivates her. “But for me,” she said. “Knowing that there are others who I can help and motivate is the main motivation for success. First, it was to make my family proud. Then, as I started to teach, I realised that others looked up to me. I therefore wanted to be successful so others could see me and know it’s a possibility for them as well”.
Tsado, a teacher for close to a decade, said that what she is most proud of is knowing that she has impacted a student beyond the classroom.
“I am especially humbled when a student comes back and tells me how they were inspired by me. I really don’t do much, I just try to show up and ensure that I do my best every day,” she said.
She, however, added that there are not many women and minorities in STEM and being able to guide and give advice to young women and minorities in the cybersecurity field is especially exciting.
“Therefore, I am humbled when people see me in the cybersecurity education field where I can impact others who are interested in the field,” she stated.
About how Black history influences her professional or personal life, she said she was truly encouraged when she saw other Black professionals who have been her mentors as well as those who have guided throughout her career.
“It humbles me to also remember and see what others did for freedom, that has paved the way for people like me. It has helped me to be more appreciative of opportunities to learn, to mentor and to do my best to pass it on,” Tsado said.
Dr Tsado studied at Texas Southern University, Houston,Texas, for an M Sc. in Management Information Systems and a PhD. Administration of Justice, with her dissertation on cybersecurity education.
For someone who has come this far on her journey from her days at the Federal Government Girls’ College, Bida, Niger State in Nigeria to the hallowed halls of academia in America it is easy to believe when she says that “there are exciting opportunities ahead of us, but we have to see it, believe it and plan to take advantage of those opportunities. Nothing just happens. You have to see it, believe in it, plan for it and take the necessary action to make it happen”.