![\"Da\u2019Mari](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768_damariclayton.jpg\")
Da\u2019Mari Clayton reviews engineering plans on-site, reflecting his hands-on experience\n and growing expertise in the field. (Photo Courtesy: Da\u2019Mari Clayton)<\/p>\n
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2014 When Da\u2019Mari Clayton arrived at Florida A&M University from his small hometown
\n of Live Oak, Florida, he carried more than luggage; he carried doubt.<\/p>\n
Growing up in Suwannee County, Clayton often found himself searching for representation
\n and proof that bigger opportunities existed. Graduating from a school where not many
\n looked like him, he said attending an HBCU felt like the right next step.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the reasons why I wanted to go to an HBCU was because I wanted to be around
\n more people like myself and have more of a community around me,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cIt\u2019s
\n not much there, and it\u2019s not a lot of Black people as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That search led him to FAMU.<\/p>\n
Da\u2019Mari Clayton reviews engineering plans on-site, reflecting his hands-on experience
\n and growing expertise in the field. (Photo Courtesy: Da\u2019Mari Clayton)<\/p>\n
Friends from high school introduced him to the HBCU experience, and he knew he wanted
\n to be part of a place where he could grow into himself.<\/p>\n
Still, his journey did not begin with certainty.<\/p>\n
Clayton entered FAMU through the Access Summer Bridge Program after standardized test
\n scores kept him from full admission. He admits confidence was something he struggled
\n with long before college.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a horrible test taker,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cI didn\u2019t do as well on the ACT
\n and SAT, so [I wasn\u2019t admitted through the traditional pathway]. But I took those
\n classes, passed with straight A\u2019s, and I was like, \u2018You know what? Maybe I can do
\n this.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That \u201cmaybe\u201d became momentum.<\/p>\n
Clayton chose electrical engineering because of both passion and legacy. Though his
\n grandfather passed away when he was young, stories about his ability to build and
\n create things stayed with him. Combined with Clayton\u2019s love for math and science,
\n engineering became the path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started to see I was actually good at something,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cI used to tell
\n people I was going to be an engineer, and they used to look at me crazy. But I was
\n like, \u2018You know what? Why not?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Da\u2019Mari](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768_CLAYTONFAMUMADE4.jpg\")
Da\u2019Mari Clayton poses on campus in his graduation regalia, marking the culmination
\n of his journey at Florida A&M University. (Photo Courtesy: Da\u2019Mari Clayton)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the biggest challenges came with Calculus II, a course known for challenging
\n even the strongest engineering students. Clayton did not pass on the first attempt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I would have to change my major,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when I took it again, I
\n did way better than what was expected. From that point, I started to [grow more confident]
\n in myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That experience taught him one of his biggest lessons.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be an engineering student, you really don\u2019t have to have everything together,\u201d
\n he said. \u201cIt\u2019s trial and error. If I can do it, you can definitely do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
While many students focus on internships, Clayton found his breakthrough through research.<\/p>\n
During his sophomore year, while working at Chick-fil-A, he met postdoctoral researcher
\n Tarik Dickens, Ph.D., who introduced him to research opportunities in industrial and
\n manufacturing engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe literally told me to quit my job at Chick-fil-A and come work for him,\u201d Clayton
\n said. \u201cAnd I took it because I was like, this is something I\u2019ve been looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
For nearly three years, Clayton has conducted research focused on creating materials
\n resistant to radiation exposure in space, work designed to help protect astronauts
\n and spacecraft.<\/p>\n
That experience changed everything.<\/p>\n
Originally, Clayton planned to earn his bachelor\u2019s degree and head straight into the
\n workforce. Now, he is preparing for graduate school and has already been accepted
\n into Florida State University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to get my bachelor\u2019s and go,\u201d he said. \u201cBut research changed my mindset.
\n About even going to grad school.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Da\u2019Mari](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768_CLAYTONFAMUMADE2.jpg\")
Da\u2019Mari Clayton engages with local K-12 students during a hands-on engineering demonstration,
\n showcasing his passion for mentorship and STEM education through the Engineering Ambassadors
\n program. (Photo Courtesy: Da\u2019Mari Clayton)<\/p>\n
Outside the classroom, Clayton found another kind of growth \u2014 confidence.<\/p>\n
Through Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity and Engineering Ambassadors,
\n he built friendships, leadership skills and learned how to use his voice.<\/p>\n
Engineering Ambassadors especially helped him work through one of his biggest insecurities:
\n public speaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a stutter, and it always messed with my confidence,\u201d he said. \u201cEngineering
\n Ambassadors really helped me with that because I had to be more confident with how
\n I spoke to people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Da\u2019Mari](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768_DAMAROCLAYTON.jpg\")
Da\u2019Mari Clayton poses at the CAMX Conference, representing his research and growing
\n presence in the engineering field. (Photo Courtesy: Da\u2019Mari Clayton)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also learned that being an engineer requires protecting your peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cEngineers struggle a lot with mental health sometimes because we stick to the work
\n and not thinking of ourselves,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m in a season now where I\u2019m learning to
\n be better toward myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From setbacks and self-doubt to research, leadership and graduate school acceptance,
\n every challenge helped shape him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen my best self and my worst self here in these past five years,\u201d he said.
\n \u201cBut that\u2019s character development. You learn from it, and you do better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he prepares to cross the commencement stage, Clayton knows one thing for certain:
\n FAMU gave him more than a degree.<\/p>\n
For Clayton, the experience became proof \u2014 proof that confidence can be built, that
\n setbacks do not define failure and that the most unexpected moments can shape your
\n path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I would be the person I am today without FAMU,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cWhat
\n I love most is the community. We come from all parts of the world, and we come together.\u201d<\/p>\n