ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Welcome to Malone Hemsley's Personal Site
My name is Malone Hemsley. I’m from Columbus, Ohio, by way of Durham, North Carolina. I received my Bachelor of Science in Physics from Morehouse College and am currently pursuing civil engineering.
My life has been much of a whirlwind, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I value everything I’ve been through because it’s made me the man I am today. I lived in Columbus for about 10 years (I think) before my family packed up all our things in a Budget truck (I know that for sure) and moved to Durham, North Carolina. My mom says she moved for the warmer weather, and after living in the South this long, I can’t blame her.
After settling in NC, I attended a few different schools between middle and high school before I found my footing at the Miller School of Albemarle. Miller is a small, college-prep boarding school tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I credit it with fueling my passion for physics and engineering.
After graduating, I continued my education at Morehouse College. I was originally part of the dual-degree engineering program but later shifted my focus to pure physics. What happened to my dream of becoming an engineer, you may ask? It's still here and burning stronger than ever. I’ll be continuing my education in a Civil Engineering Ph.D. program after graduation.
People often ask me, “Why civil engineering?” But truly, civil chose me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by structures, buildings, excavators, and bulldozers. Some people are mesmerized by ocean sunsets or starry skies but as for me, it’s construction sites.
I have a goal that isn’t just to build a company; I want to create a mission-driven enterprise that builds and manages affordable housing in metropolitan areas. This won’t be your typical affordable housing—I’m talking about upscale units that tenants can be proud to call home. More than that, I want to offer wraparound services to help residents move forward in life: financial planning, credit repair, and childcare assistance, all free to our residents. Some say this goal is too big. To them, I say my drive is bigger.
To be clear, earning a Ph.D. isn’t necessary to launch this vision; frankly, one could do it with no degree. I’m pursuing it because of my passion for education. I know what it feels like to be a student who’s passionate about a field no one in your immediate family has pursued. It can be daunting and even discouraging. So, I’ve made it my mission to give back to the next generation and make sure no young scholar’s dream is cut short simply because they don’t know there’s someone out there doing it, but more importantly, someone who looks like them doing it.
So, in a nutshell, that’s me.
Why do I have a personal site?
I made this site somewhat in “protest” to LinkedIn, but truly, more for myself.
The story goes… it was 2024, and I had been back in Atlanta for about a week after attending the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) conference (joint with the National Society of Hispanic Physicists). I sat at my desk typing away, composing a reflection post for LinkedIn. I spoke of the amazing time I had and relayed my gratitude for being chosen as the NASA Oral Presentation Award recipient.
But as I wrote the post, I started reflecting on the trip as a whole and not just the professional highlights. I thought about the Morehouse alumnus we randomly ran into while walking the streets of Houston. The burger joint hidden in the basement of what looked like a bakery that served the BEST Cinnamon Toast Crunch milkshake I’ve ever had. Or the “side quest” we took to check out the AfroTech conference. I could go on for paragraphs about my time there, or honestly, about the experiences I’ve had anywhere.
So, I decided I would do just that.
But LinkedIn didn’t feel like the place for it. That space is more tailored to professional accomplishments and polished updates. I wanted somewhere I could share everything, my thoughts on topics that pique my interest, the random notes I take to remember cool facts, the recipe I made up one night while cooking, my reviews on books I read, and a place where family members could check in to see what Malone’s up to while he’s away.
After a bit of contemplation, I realized a personal website was the move. Bounded by no word limits, algorithms or audience expectations, just me sharing what I want, when I want.
Some people might subscribe to get updates every time I post something new. Others might land on the site once and decide, “Yeah… this guy’s saying nothing that interests me.” To either person, my message is simple:
Thanks for stopping by.