About D'Shea

Born and raised in Southeast San Diego by a single parent, D'Shea Wade (he/him) is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Arts in Postsecondary Educational Leadership and Student Affairs at San Diego State University. D'Shea's pathway to higher education was inspired by his own lived experiences. Having been on juvenile probation between the ages of 12-18, D'Shea dropped out of high school, but returned to school after losing his best friend to gang violence. 
 

D'Shea holds a number of professional positions in student affairs. At SDSU, he serves as a graduate assistant with the Compact Scholars Program in EOPOS and at the Black Resource Center. He is also a graduate assistant at UC San Diego with the Chancellor's Associates Scholars Program.

On his free time, D'Shea enjoys playing ultimate team (Madden) and listening to King Von, Mozzy, or Nipsey Hussle.

Educational Journey

After dropping out of high school, D'Shea earned his diploma from Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) in San Diego County. Upon graduating from JCCS, he attended Grossmont College where he found the love to serve students. 

"Underrepresented students, minoritized students, white, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, etc. It does not matter! I am here to love and serve all students!"

D'Shea earned his A.A. degree from Grossmont College in 2019 and received an athletic scholarship to play football at the University of Kansas. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 global pandemic crushed his dreams of making it to the national football league.

D'Shea transferred to SDSU in Spring 2021 and recently earned his B.A. in Africana Studies with a minor in Leadership. As a undergraduate student, D'Shea held a number of leadership roles which expanded his cultural competence to support young men of color and other diverse communities. 

Research Interests

D'Shea has an interest in various research topics, including: Men of Color programs and initiatives, particularly in community colleges; the impact of out-of-state tuition for community college athletes; assessing cultural competence among higher education institutions and their leadership; and understanding the imposter syndrome among students from low-income communities. ​