Jollice Boyd used to come up with problem-solving solutions in her political science classes during her time at Florida Southern College.
Now she is using that same skill set to connect some of the brightest professionals from across the world together to learn from one another.
Boyd ’22 works for World Learning, one of the oldest non-profit global development and exchange organizations in the world. World Learning helps deliver education programs to students and professionals in more than 150 countries.
As a program associate, Boyd facilitates U.S. Department of State and Embassy professional exchange programs. This involves grant proposals, program writing and development, logistics, and implementation.
The problem-solving skills she honed at Florida Southern have helped her in her current role.
“Just being able to look at something as small as a crack in the sidewalk and figuring out how the different components come together to fix that,” Boyd said. “I did papers on something as trivial as that, to larger things like problem solving world and local issues.”
World Learning is helping Boyd continue to sharpen those problem-solving skills.
Boyd can relate to visiting students or professionals because she has been in their shoes.
“I did exchanges when I was in high school and as an undergrad,” Boyd said. “Now I’m helping to plan and implement these programs. I’m one of the people that helps put it together, connecting a policy issue to an implementable program. It’s a lot of logistics and small details. It’s very detail oriented, a lot of moving parts to appease all our partners and trying to make sure everybody gets what they need.”
Boyd, who was president of the Multicultural Student Council and Vice President of Student Government at FSC, described one recent project of the United States-Africa Leaders Summit in December that was put on by President Joe Biden.
The summit saw 49 leaders of African nations come to discuss policy issues with the main focus on issues connected with the African diaspora.
“It was cool to see programs at the White House connected with what we’re doing,” Boyd said.
Boyd, who is from Brandon, Fla., but grew up in Orlando, has had to adjust to a few things living in Washington D.C.
The biggest of those is just how big D.C. is compared to Orlando. For example, Boyd uses the Metro to get to work instead of driving. That is common for anyone that has lived in D.C. for a while, but it was something new to Boyd.
“I thought being from Orlando I knew what a big city would be like,” Boyd said.
In addition to her job at World Learning, Boyd is continuing her education as well.
Boyd is currently enrolled at Johns Hopkins as she pursues her Master of Arts in International Relations.
The success Boyd is already having comes as no surprise to Florida Southern College professor Dr. Bruce Anderson.
“Jollice was one of our very best policy students, able to weigh multiple factors from across the board to solve a given policy problem — it is problem-solving in its element,” said Dr. Anderson, the Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay Jr. Chair in American History, Government and Civics. “Jollice's experience in policy resolutions led to a very effective application of these ideas in the real world of student government and now the very real world of policy formation. We're so proud and thrilled with everything she is doing."