Posts - Anyone Can Achieve

ACA Mission Statement 2022

Anyonecanachieve.com is a college persistence program. We are seeking career specific mentors to help inform, encourage, inspire and offer support to African American and other minority students as they embark on their college journey.

At anyonecanachieve.com we promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the most rewarding and lucrative professional occupations in the U.S. labor market. African Americans and other minorities are seriously underrepresented in these great professions historically and now.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion should be more than just words that politicians and corporations use to show interest in social justice. These words should lead to a viable plan to enhance the participation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in the best careers available in America.

I developed this website to encourage more underrepresented minorities to develop interest in, pursue and persist in preparation for the best careers the U.S. labor market offers. We focus on 330 career titles listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). Also, there is exhaustive online information about each occupational title through the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s (BLS) website: Onetonline.org. All the careers we encourage require college degrees (Associate through Advanced Degrees). The jobs are higher-paying professional occupations.

Why do we encourage minorities to pursue these jobs? We encourage minorities to pursue these extraordinary jobs because minority participation in such jobs today is minimal and that is too bad. There are a lot of skilled professional jobs in the U.S. labor market, around 93 million jobs or about 66 percent of all jobs. Most of these jobs are found in two large occupational groups: Management and Professional Specialty – currently about 64 million jobs. African Americans hold only 7% of the 330 highly skilled professional jobs we recommend. Hispanic American are likewise underrepresented in the top occupations. White Americans and Asian Americans, on the other hand, are overrepresented in such jobs.

BLS data we reviewed reveal that in 2021 there were 152 million people employed in the civilian U.S. labor market and of those 64.7 million were employed in the highest median pay occupations in Management and Professional Specialty. African Americans employed incumbents were only 4.6 million of the the jobs we recommend or around 7 percent.

At anyonecanachieve, we strongly believe that African American participation in the top median income jobs ought to be proportional and similar to our population of 12.3 percent. The jobs at the top ought to reflect the diversity of the country in the same way as jobs at the bottom or in the middle. We think it is possible to change this unfortunate underrepresentation in the best jobs. The 330 occupational titles we focus on span a broad range of interests and aptitudes. We believe it’s possible to make these jobs more salient, visible to young people. We use mentors to help motivate, inspire, support and to show that the choices are doable. We chose to focus on college persistence because young people are poised to solidify career aspirations early during the college years. We know also that there is a critical mass of black students (about 36% of all African Americans18-24 years-old) who start college according to NCES data, 2020. Let’s mentor them and support them as they navigate their way through the college experience and let’s do this in a culturally competent way.

We have little doubt that diversifying the top jobs will go a long way toward eliminating the current disparity in economic outcomes between black and white Americans. Because knowledge is malleable, our goal is to increase students’ aspirations within areas of aptitude and interest by use of career specific mentors. By using such strategy, social justice (eliminating occupational segregation) can come more quickly as students begin to seek these exceptional career opportunities. Anyonecanachieve is occupation focused. Unlike other mentoring programs we link what happens in the classroom to workplace preparation. That is why our website utilizes mentors and vocational jobs experts who know the job market and the skills required.

We don’t do “cook book” advising. Our mentors know their specific professional field inside and out. They will illuminate information, career strategy and provide realistic encouragement to students in pursuit of the best careers. My 25 plus years educating, supervising and mentoring Martin University Master’s degree students has made a clear impact on the system I developed. It has been a joy to help prepare well over 150 Master’s degree recipients for eventual licensure as Mental Health Counselors or Counselor Associates. I share our graduate’s excitement about their professional future.

If you are employed in Management or Professional Specialty your occupation title is among our 330 jobs titles. So, your mentoring advice is needed. We need you as a retired worker as well to pass on your knowledge.

Won’t you join our effort (students and mentors) to diversify the 330 top job titles in America? Won’t you join our effort to create a more balanced approach to strengthen minority students’ commitment to higher education and higher career goals?

Please Sign Up today at anyonecanachieve.com go to top menu and click It’s easy to be a mentor-volunteer mentor application.

Dr. Thomas

Anyonecanachieve.com is pleased to welcome Kambui Abdullah, M.S., LMHC

New Mentor Photo, Kambui Abdullah, LMHC

Kambui Abdullah received his Master’s Degree from Martin University and is licensed as a Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Indiana. He has had specialized training in CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Therapy, Crisis Assessment and Intervention and Medication Assisted Training. He is also a Certified Peer Recovery Coach. I am so proud of this young man’s accomplishments. He believes is giving back to the community and sharing his expertise with others. Recently, he was kind enough to give a presentation to my graduate clinical students. He took their questions and offered thoughtful advice. In his presentation he emphasized time management, clinical competence in the delivery of services and the ethical practice of counseling. Please see Kambui’s mentor profile for more useful information and read his achievement story. His mentor profile is located under Featured Mentors under I-L.

Anyonecanachieve.com is pleased and honored to highlight Dr. Charlie Nelms, Ed.D.,Vice President Emeritus IU

Charlie recently received the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Martin University (where the author has taught Psychology for over two decades).

Here is what the Fifty-Third Commencement Program had to say about Charlie:

“He is a nationally recognized leader in higher education, a compelling storyteller and a dedicated activist. Charlie obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB),a historically Black College and University (UBCU). He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from Indiana University. Charlie is the first African American to be appointed Chancellor on an IU campus and Vice President of the University System. In 2019 IU awarded him an honorary doctorate and he is also the recipient of its highest honors: The President’s Medal for Excellence, the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, and the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion for Distinguished Achievement. Charlie is Vice President Emeritus at IU. He holds honorary degrees from Earlham College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Charlie’s eminent career includes serving as chancellor at indiana University East, the University of Michigan-Flint, and North Carolina Central University (NCCU). During his tenure as chancellor of NCCU, U.S. News & World Report ranked it as one of the best public HBCUs in the nation for three consecutive years. Charlie is the author of Having My Say: Reflections of a Black Baby Boomer and Start Where You Find Yourself. His memoir, From Cotton Fields to University Leadership: All Eyes on Charlie (IU Press, 2019) was featured during IU’s bicentennial celebration in 2020. All book royalties are donated to United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) for Historical Black College Fund (HBCU )scholarships.”

Charlie’s professional, administrative and personal contributions to the academy and larger community are monumental. We ,however, hope this introduction suffices to celebrate his achievements and continuing service to others.

When I asked Charlie to join us at Anyonecanachieve.com he was gracious and responded immediately to the request. Another example of his commitment to service.

Dr. Jack E. Thomas, Ph.D.,HSPP

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Professor and Director of Clinical Development, Martin University

Medical Advisor to U.S. Federal Administrative Law Judges,OHO

CEO, Anyonecanachieve.com

Anyonecanachieve.com is pleased to spotlight Attorney, Robbie Lee Flippin, Esq.

We are so proud of this young attorney’s career accomplishments.

Robbie earned her law degree from Indiana University-The Robert H. McKinney School of Law with concentration in Health Law.

She is employed at Eli Lilly and Company for the past 4 years.

In her current role Robbie focuses on global clinical trial agreement negotiations, vendor oversight and training for contract research organizations, and drafting contract language in response to the implementation of novel privacy laws, globally. Additionally, Robbie is the department’s diversity equity and inclusion chair. This enables her to speak across the enterprise about the company’s inclusion initiatives and educate her peers on the importance of intercultural competency.

Robbie’s early legal experience began in the Indiana Attorney General’s Office in Indianapolis. She worked in licensing litigation/investigation. Also, she had experience as Contract Attorney for Lewis Wagner, LLP.

Robbie is a member of the Indiana Bar Association.

Dr. Carolyn Calloway-Thomas Receives W. George Pinnell Award

Dr. Carolyn Calloway-Thomas Honored

Carolyn received the W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service to Indiana University, April 1, 2022

(This award recognizes faculty and librarians who have shown exceptional breadth and depth of commitment in service to the university, to their profession, or to the public)

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF CAROLYN’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY AND HER PROFESSION:

Past President of Bloomington Faculty Council, Past Chair BFC Affirmative Action Committee, Secretary of the UFC, Director of Graduates Studies in two Departments, Director of the Groups Scholars Program, Helped develop a Minority Fellowship program for the Bloomington Campus and helped students grapple with issues of racism years before the Black Lives Matter movement…Her expertise has strengthened an extensive list of communication organizations. She served as President of the World Communication Association (WCA). She has lead an Interracial Communication Program. She has sponsored over 20 international scholars, which has strengthened the presence of Africana studies. Her devotion and leadership as President of the central States Communication Association has garnered her election to its Hall of Fame.

Professor Calloway-Thomas’s love for global understanding and Intercultural Communication is further shown by her extensive foreign travel, 53 countries and counting across Asia, Africa, Western and Eastern Europe. Norway was her most recent destination in 2022.

AFRICAN AMERICANS ON THE RIGHT COLLEGE ACADEMIC PATH, HEADED FORWARD!

IN 2020 there were about 164 million people employed in the U.S. labor force. Of those individuals (25 and over) nearly 40 percent possessed a Bachelor’s degree or more. Those individuals would be described as having high specific vocational preparation (SVP) therefore generally qualifying for skilled jobs with typically higher prestige and pay. Such jobs likely have greater opportunity for personal growth, promotion and satisfaction. The labor market is always a competitive place where employers vie for the best and most qualified addition to their workplace. So, we are all in the process of improving our skills to make us standout and to make us competitive.

African Americans are on the right path toward improving their skills through educational attainment. Let’s look at some 2016 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the U.S. labor force, 60 percent of Asian Americans, 43 percent of white Americans, 28 percent of African Americans and 20 percent of Hispanic Americans had attained at least a Bachelor’s degree. But, what is very interesting and hopeful about African Americans in the labor force is that they or clearly on the path of improving their overall skill level. African Americans compared to the other racial/ethnic groups had a highest rate of “some college” and Associate degree attainment at 33 percent. Whites were at 28 percent and Asian and Hispanic at 16 percent. Looking at this data optimistically (a glass half-full approach) I conclude that this is the essential challenge for our mentors – help encourage college persistence toward attainment of the Bachelor’s degree. We at anyonecanachieve.com want to be that spark that ignites and reinforces the genius in all of us.

Professor Carolyn Calloway-Thomas Receives Award From National Communication Association & Indiana University

In 2020, professor Carolyn Calloway-Thomas received two of the most prestigious awards that can be bestowed upon a member of the national communication association and Indiana University. On November 21, 2020, she received the Samuel L. Becker Distinguished Service Award from the National Communication Association. The award is presented to the person judged to have made the greatest contribution to the association during her career.

National Communication Association Presents the Samuel L. Becker Distinguished Service Award to Carolyn Calloway-Thomas. In recognition of outstanding cumulative contributions in research, teaching, and service to NCA and the Communication discipline.

The contributions: research, teaching or service… in December 2020, IU awarded Dr. Calloway-Thomas a bicentennial medal “in recognition of distinguished and distinctive service in support of the mission of Indiana University.”

As well, at the National Communication Association conference in November 2020, the Central States Communication Association recognized Carolyn with a special panel on black women in the Academy and beyond in connection with the “Calloway-Thomas Inclusivity Speaker Series, “which is named in her honor. Her article titled “The Otherness of the Other” will be published in Spring 2021 in Routledge’s new volume on Business and Peace. She delivered a keynote speech at the “Women 4 Change” Indiana state conference in Indianapolis. And in January 2021, Professor Calloway-Thomas appeared on The Lisa Show, a production of BYU Radio in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she discussed some of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s lesser-known speeches. Moreover, as a guest on WTTV CBS4Indy on February 4, she addressed the topic, “Distrust and the Historic Mistreatment of black People by the Medical Community,” with an emphasis on the COVID-19 vaccine.

In addition, on December 4, 2020, she presented a paper at an international conference on Russia titled “Understanding Relations between Russia and the United States through a Metaphoric Cluster Analysis ” and a paper on “Afrocentricity and the Repetitive Master Trope, Racism, ” at Afrocentricity: An Epistemic Revolution in African Studies virtual one-day conference at Temple University (November 2). On the home front, as a guest lecture, she presented talks on empathy in classes at IU, gave a speech on the “Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr “ to the Indiana University Black Law Graduate Students Association, and moderated a panel on a film dedicated to the life of Shirley Chisholm aptly named “Shirley Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed.”

Finally, on October 26, she presented a talk on empathy and social justice at the Virtual Racial Justice Business Partner Summit with Eli Lilly, Comcast, CHASE, and Duke Energy. Such sessions are designed to encourage Indiana corporations to support scholarly and community work on racial and social justice.

Dr. Calloway-Thomas received the Lifetime Service Award from the National Communication Association in 2017

10 techniques to help manage depressed symptoms.

This presentation is not the best solution for someone experiencing suicidal ideations, but for those experiencing intermittent depressed mood. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts I encourage you to call 911 or go to your local hospital and reach out for treatment.

In general‚ about 1 out of every 6 adults will have depression at some time in their life. Depression affects about 16 million American adults every year.

I’m here to tell you it’s going to be okay! The video will outline ten coping skills to help you manage your depressive symptoms.
Keep in mind! The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. But there’s is a huge difference, between something that’s difficult and something that’s impossible.

Let’s get into it.

If you find this video helpful please subscribe to the channel and share with a friend.

Peace and Blessings 🙏🏾,
Nick

Ten Tips Everyone Should know when dealing with Anxiety

*Disclaimer* This presentation is not the best solution for someone experiencing suicidal ideations, but for those experiencing intermittent depressed mood. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts I encourage you to call 911 or go to your local hospital and reach out for treatment. In general‚ about 1 out of every 6 adults will have depression at some time in their life. Depression affects about 16 million American adults every year. I’m here to tell you it’s going to be okay! The video will outline ten coping skills to help you manage your depressive symptoms. Keep in mind! The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. But there’s is a huge difference, between something that’s difficult and something that’s impossible. Let’s get into it. If you find this video helpful please subscribe to the channel and share it with a friend. Peace and Blessings 🙏🏾, Nick

Nicolas Wright, MS, is a mental health clinician who has also created video presentations on Depression and Anxiety.