Difference Maker Dr. Jason Arday

As the well-worn proverb attests, silence is golden. That is unless you are a loving mother desperate to hear your child speak your name or whisper that precious trio of words: I love you. Unable to speak or write, Jason Arday for years bore silent witness to the world as he navigated his autism journey, always observing, thinking, and learning. When he eventually found his words as a tweenager, Arday finally was freed to share with the world the intellect that had been percolating in silence. In the spring of 2023, Dr. Jason Arday became the youngest Black professor ever appointed at the University of Cambridge in England. Now, the once silent youngster speaks volumes about democratizing higher education with his work as a sociologist that seeks to illuminate the gaps of under-represented groups pursuing and delivering it.