William Lashley IV — make that Dr. William Lashley IV, now that he’s received his Ph.D. from N.C. A&T — didn’t set out to make history.
The first person to get a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Lashley wasn’t focused on agriculture when he came to A&T in 2013. He was leaning toward engineering when he decided to take a horticulture class as an elective in his sophomore year.
But Guochen Yang, Ph.D., horticulture professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, saw potential in his new student who paid attention and asked questions. He offered him a job working in his lab, but knew that wouldn’t pay a full-time student’s bills.
He also knew that Lashley was not fully committed to agriculture yet.
Will Lashley demonstrates a device used to measure the color of light striking a specific area while visiting the location on the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University farm where he is researching the effects of growing ginger under various lighting conditions. Lashley will formally receive his Ph.D. at A&T’s fall commencement, making him the first to earn his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the university’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
So, Yang offered him a full-ride scholarship funded with a grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Under the grant stipulations, Lashley would have to commit to studying urban and community horticulture.
“You can’t teeter-totter anymore,” Lashley recalls Yang telling him.
By then, however, Lashley was already hooked on agriculture. “(The scholarship) was, like, the cherry on top,” said Lashley, now 30.
Yang would mentor Lashley throughout his academic studies and his research, which focused on how shading and photosynthesis impacts ginger. Yang’s current research focuses on ways that farmers can grow to grow ginger, a tropical crop, in North Carolina, creating a lucrative, niche crop for them.
The two grew close, and Lashley’s grandmother even started calling Yang his “Greensboro dad.”
“It’s a wonderful feeling. I saw this young man go from an 18-year-old to a solid scientist,” Yang said of Lashley, a Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellow.
Lashley admits it was rough at times. “It would take me hours to just read (a scientific) paper, take me hours to understand what it was talking about. Then I had to write a one-page summary and present it within five minutes. The first time — it was nerve-racking.
“The last time I did it, it was just like bread and butter. When I’m in it, it doesn’t seem like I’m growing, but looking back, I’ve come a long way,” said Lashley, who’s authored five refereed journal publications and been senior author for two.
Still, Lashley remains humble about his accomplishments. “Being the inaugural Ph.D. student, I felt a lot of pressure at first. But once I got into it, I was amazed to see how my journey unfolded.”
The Zebulon, N.C., native said he still wants to learn and explore. “Even wrapping up my Ph.D., I feel like I’m still at just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve got so many questions. I want to learn about research, not only ginger, but also other things,” Lashley said.
He hopes to become a researcher and or go into development in private industry.
Antoine J. Alston, Ph.D., the driving force behind the college’s doctoral program, said Lashley “will definitely be a hot commodity coming out.”
But Alston, associate dean of academic studies, sees Lashley not only as an Aggie with a bright future, but also as an example of what 1890 land-grant universities can produce:
“A cadre of young professionals, particularly younger, African American, doctoral-credentialed professionals that can have a major impact not only in the agricultural community, but across our nation broadly,” he said.
“Having young scholars such as Will Lashley are going to ensure that we maintain our global competitiveness.”
