Swag Bender Episode 040 “From College Basketball to PhD” w/guest José González

Swag Bender with Dr. Dariel "DT" Henry

José González is a first-generation Afro-Caribbean immigrant who grew up in Holyoke, Massachusetts. His educational journey has been nontraditional. After graduating from his community college, he transferred to Westfield State University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a double concentration in Ethnic Studies and Philosophy. In 2020, he earned his Master of Arts degree in African American Studies at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Currently, José is a first-generation doctoral student in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at UMass-Amherst. Apart from his intellectual endeavors, José is an artist who uses Hip Hop as a medium to help build community, facilitate healing, create social change, and raise consciousness and awareness around social issues. His stage name is Dr. Zae and you can find his music on all platforms.