African American Studies Graduating Students, Spring 2025

The Institute for African American Studies would like to highlight one of our graduating students for the Spring 2025 graduation.  Diego Palko, a graduating senior spoke with us about his time at the University of Georgia, how the institute impacted his experience, and his future plans. 

What is your name?
Diego Palko
 

When are you graduating?
Spring 2025
 

What is your degree, minor, graduate program(s)?
Journalism (B.A.) ; African American Studies (B.A.) ; Political Science (minor)
 

Why did you decide to major, minor, or research that subject?
I knew coming out of high school I always wanted to study journalism and pursue the
subject as a major; however, it wasn’t until the end of freshman year when I decided to add
on the major of African American Studies. This came after I took the intro to African
American Studies course and decided to declare it as a major instead of just a minor. I was
always interested in cultural studies, so studying it at the collegiate level only heightened my
interest African American literature and culture.
 

What are your plans for after graduation and why are those your plans?
In the fall of 2025, I will begin my first year of law school at Duquesne University Kline
School of Law in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
 

What goals do you have for your career or education after graduating?
I hope to become a prosecuting attorney and eventually practice law with my older brother
who is already an attorney.
 

How did IAAS or the AFAM department support you in your time at UGA and/or in your
course of study?
IAAS especially provided me with mentorship throughout my course of study. I gained a
new perspective of African American Studies as a whole with every one of the course I took
because each professor truly cared and was passionate about the work he/she/they did.
 

What was your favorite AFAM/IAAS event, program, class, or memory?
In spring of 2024, I attended the Penn Center in South Carolina with Dr. McCaskill’s group.
We were there for about 5 days, and it was one of the best cultural experiences I ever had.
We learned so much about the Gullah culture and interacted with local Gullah people, food,
and culture.
 

Any advice for incoming or established students who want to get to know IAAS or take
AFAM classes, get a minor, major, or graduate certificate? Any advice for students in
general?
Be curious, think outside the box and make good connections. Pick the brains of your
mentors, advisors, and professors in the IAAS. Be a sponge and soak in as much
information as you can. Remember, you are always a student and always in the learning
process. Education is freedom and it is necessary to fully immerse yourself in every aspect of
it, whether it be poetry, literature, film, art, architecture, or history.
Be a good listener, be open to new ideas, keep up with current events and read as much
literature as you can. Some of the most valuable moments I had in the classroom were being
an active listener to other peers, whether it was graduate student certificate candidates,
undergraduates, or PhD candidates.