Graduates from the FSU College of Education go on to do amazing things and make impacts both in their fields and on the world. Marshall Anthony, Jr. (Ph.D. ’19) is no exception.

Anthony is a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress (CAP) – an independent, nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action.

“Our aim is not just to change the conversation, but to change the country,” says Anthony. He helps to advance the think tank's higher education policy priorities on equity, accountability and attainment in myriad ways, including producing a variety of written products (e.g., columns, issue briefs and reports); communicating research findings and general policy expertise to various media outlets, legislators and administration officials; and tracking major developments on key education-related legislation.

Anthony was recently invited to testify before the Oversight Subcommittee of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing on “Expanding Access to Higher Education and the Promise It Holds.”

“I'm still jumping up and down with joy,” says Anthony. “The experience was surreal, emotional and deeply rewarding. My colleagues at CAP and the committee staffers encouraged and supported me to share my expertise on higher education and experiences living the failures of the higher education system. As a young, Black man from a low-income, single-parent household, it is important for me to humanize the work I do in my quest to improve the educational and socioeconomic mobility of traditionally marginalized communities.”

Anthony believes his time in Florida State’s higher education program prepared him not only for this testimony, but also his professional experiences overall.

“The coursework, ethics of care from faculty and co-curricular experiences provided me with the relevant tools to examine and critique systemic inequities within the higher education landscape, especially as it relates to public policy,” says Anthony. “My hope is that the higher education program will continue to produce graduates committed to the three central pillars of student success, leadership and social justice. The field of higher education as a whole and the policy space specifically will most certainly continue to benefit from students and graduates committed to true social change.”

You can view Anthony’s full testimony here.