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By Joy Vann

Edward Moses, who will receive a Ph.D. in international studies with a focus on strategic leadership during Old Dominion University’s Spring Commencement, said as a child who didn’t thrive on academics, his pursuit of higher education was late blooming.

He recalled that when he was growing up, school conferences with teachers were never pleasant for his parents who were always told that he wasn’t doing well. As he got older and began to focus on his interests in technology and film, that changed.

Moses, who has an MFA in film and television from Regent University and a Bachelor of Science in electronic and media technology from Karunya University in his native India, said regardless of his grades, his mother was always his biggest supporter. When she passed midway through his doctoral studies, his academic career was nearly derailed.

“I felt like I didn’t have a reason to keep pursing my degree because she was the main person who championed me. She was so proud and now she wouldn’t be there to see me receive it,” he said.

But he soon learned his mother was not the only person supporting him. Professors who encouraged him included Regina Karp, Ph.D., director of political science; Angelica Huizar, Ph.D., professor of world languages and cultures; Peter Schulman, Ph.D., assistant professor of world languages and culture and Najmeh Moradiyan-Rizi, Ph.D., assistant professor of film studies. With their help, he persevered and intensified his focus on global security issues, international politics, decision-making strategies and research to finish his degree.

Dr. Schulman served as the chair of Moses’ dissertation which analyzes the United Nations’ response during armed conflicts through well-known films. “Peace Engagement and Non-Negotiable Commitment Through an In-Depth Lens,” examines case studies from the wars in Rwanda, Bosnia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During the six years that Moses pursued his doctorate, he worked at Old Dominion in jobs that gave him an insider’s perspective into what makes the University tick.

As a study abroad graduate assistant, he held information sessions for students, produced videos that told individual students’ stories and offered examples of options available. He also produced videos for the Office of Intercultural Relations, covering everything from staff introductions to student profiles.

Now he is the creative director graduate assistant for the Graduate School where he continues to produce videos on a variety of topics, such as how one busy student and mother maintain work-life balance, the motivation of a 72-year-old undergraduate student and the individual stories of scholarship recipients.

“These jobs have allowed me to see the depth of academic diversity, the variety of extracurricular opportunities and the vibrant student life that may not always come across in traditional marketing materials,” he said. “The personal experiences shared in my videos also highlight how the University supports its students, both academically and socially. It gave me a much clearer understanding of how ���� empowers its students to thrive.”

His path after graduation isn’t exactly planned, but he knows he wants to use his knowledge and skills to do important things in the future and follow God’s purpose for his life.

“My vision is to create a television broadcasting network and a nonprofit organization that stands for truth and justice. With my creative film background and Ph.D. in international studies, I’m poised to move towards fulfilling the mission that the Lord has given to me,” he said. “In the meantime, I’m looking forward to expand my horizon of influence in the local community through film making and mentoring the next generation of young people.” 

He will continue filmmaking, building upon his background which includes two short student films: the documentary “Say No to Child Sex-Trafficking” and “We Rise,” a musical that aims to raise awareness about the harms of antisemitism.

He said the key element for the nonprofit he’ll create is based on Proverbs 31 which talks about speaking for those who cannot speak and standing up for the needy.

“I think there's a lot of people who do not have a voice and they want someone to speak for them. I want to speak for people who cannot speak for themselves. I want to stand for the destitute. I wanted to stand for what is right,” he said.