Old Dominion University
Alumni Association
(757) 683-3097 odualumni@odu.edu
[Listen to our chat with Imani here.]
Full name, years attended ODU, major(s). Imani Black. I went to ODU from 2012 to 2016. I originally was recruited to Old Dominion University to play lacrosse, and I actually did that for four years - all throughout my four years [at ODU]. And I majored in marine biology, technically biology as my major with a marine concentration.
Hometown, current residence, family stats. I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and [that’s where] my love for water started really young. When you have a direct connection to coastal communities and you're out on the water all day and you just love being outdoors, it becomes something that you're really involved in and that you really like. It just so happened to just stick with me from the age of seven and, so for a very long time, I really knew that I wanted to do something with the environment and conservation.
What brought you to ODU? Do you remember your first day of school here? I was attracted to ODU for lacrosse because I had never heard of the school before! When I visited the school, I realized that they had a really good marine biology program. At the time, I didn't really know what path of biology I really wanted to go down, just some sort of environmental conservation. I did a study abroad trip to South America and then just kind of decided from there that I wanted to do oyster restoration.
I came into ODU with the normal student body as lacrosse is a spring sport. [As a lacrosse team member,] we didn't have to do the soccer thing or football thing where they have to come to school early [to start their athletic season]. My first day was just like the normal move-in day. It was a lot, but then I was really excited because they think the very next day we either had like a team meeting or something like that. No adjustment period but just jumped right in!
Greatest collegiate achievement? Favorite college memory? I have one [greatest achievement] that's student-related and one that's athletic-related. Going on the study abroad that I mentioned earlier with my marine ecology class was the first time that I ever traveled out of the country that far. It was the first time I'd been on a research island and had done some extensive research. The experience was so hands-on. We were waking up and going snorkeling and paddle boarding and just on the water all day. Most importantly, the people that I met on that trip, I'm still friends with today. I think that's what makes it so much better because I didn't just gain experience. I met some valuable friendships with really genuine, incredible women.
My second one, my athletic one, was in 2016 when we won our conference championship for lacrosse and I got to play in the first round is the NCAA tournament, which is pretty cool. We really could feel like the magic in our team. No matter what we've gone through, that will always be ours, as a team.
What are some of your favorite ways to engage with the university? Some of my favorite ways, I think they're just casual ways like alumni weekend, where alumni come together and it's a huge thing on campus. I also think football games are always a fun way to just feel the college magic and be part of the college community. Any chance that we get outside of ODU, we get together [as well], which is great. When we do come back to campus, it's for football games or alumni weekend and they're pretty fun weekends because we get to think back [to our college days].
What advice would you give new university alumni? Just take your time. I know that there's this stress of you've got to figure out what you want to do and things you have to do. I know I didn't graduate college during a pandemic – a totally different experience. There is [the chance for] a bit more downtime, so I would just say to take that time to really figure out what you want to do. You can use your degree in the discipline that you feel like is best. When I was graduating college, I did not expect to start a non-profit at all but I ended up starting a non-profit. I would say that's my biggest advice is to figure out what to do and then just GO FOR IT, full force.
You started the Minorities in Aquaculture initiative on the Eastern Shore. Tell us a bit about what it means to you to be able to promote the benefits of aquaculture to minority women. It means a lot. Like I said, I never really thought that I would start a non-profit. When I got into oyster farming and aquaculture work, I had never worked with another person of color that was like in a leadership role at that point so I didn't really have a lot of guidance when it came to relating to a person of color. What I did have was people that were in my corner that could see the passion that I had [for the industry].
Women are a minority in general [in the industry], but especially women of color are a “double minority.” That is the demographic that I can relate to as being an African-American, that I align with them, that I am influenced by them. [I want to] give them an opportunity to be empowered, supported and encouraged to want to dive into a marine science career.
Not many people know that aquaculture is a career so I want to give hands-on science program, internship, mentorship, and conference opportunities. There are [several potential] obstacles and barriers of getting into marine sciences and one of those things is finances sometimes. I'm trying to build the non-profit with the foundation that those things will no longer be an obstacle. I want to take as many obstacles that I can out of your way so that you can have this experience and take it where you want to take it.
[While] I don't claim to know everything, I'm still learning and I think that's the greatest part about having the non-profit is that I still get to learn as well. In the future, I want to be able to call up connections and partners of minorities and aquaculture and say, “Hey, this girl here, she loves x, y, and z and I automatically thought of you. Can we figure out a program or an internship or something where she can have that experience?”
For more information about the non-profit, please visit www.mianpo.org.
Anything more you'd like to add or want us to know? There have been moments of my life where when I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and I didn't really have a clear vision of what I wanted my career or life to be. I had some moments and people in my life that just kind of inserted their opinion on these decisions. My biggest thing to add onto my advice to [new] alumni would be to not let anybody tell you what you can and cannot do. There are so many people out there [who] will tell you that you're not smart enough to do this or that this isn't a good business idea or [something else negative]. You can listen to them, take out the information you need. Then discard the rest, and do whatever makes you happy. Because, in the end, you're the only one who is going to have to wake up to your job everyday. It's in your hands.