Adam PowellEIF Higher Education Advisor


Between the time he devotes to earning his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of North Texas and the time he devotes to the students at James Madison High, Adam Powell is one busy guy, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Adam firmly believes that education is the last, great civil rights issue, and he lives to help kids engage in the system, flourish at school, and go on to change the world—a little like he’s doing, one good kid at a time.

Where did you go to college?
Jackson State University, undergrad, with a degree in communications, and I got my master’s degree in social work from UTA. My Ph.D. is in progress at UNT.

What’s the worst/funniest job you’ve ever had?
One summer I cut grass and trimmed hedges at a prison with supervision from inmates. I learned a lot from those guys, though. Some of their stories were amazing. The most mesmerizing part is that all of those guys were innocent. All of them!

Favorite quote or motto?
“Your vision will become clear when you look into your own heart. He who looks outside dreams; he who looks inside awakens.”

Why is college important?
College introduces young people to a myriad of options that are not readily available in other facets of life. The abundance of intellectual potential concentrated in one location causes all young people immersed in the culture to grow mentally and socially. This, in my opinion, is what creates lawyers, doctors, and educators, even more so than the books and theories studied throughout the two or four year period.