Andrea Pugh-Kelley is a wife, mother, traveler, scientist, blogger, and entrepreneur. She was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan in a civil rights fighting, Disney-loving family. Currently, she lives in Tallahassee, Florida, where she is finishing up her PhD in Environmental Science at Florida A&M University.
When she’s not working on her Doctorate in Environmental Science, you can find Andrea Pugh-Kelly hanging with her adorable family in Disney World or blogging.
As a student at Saginaw High School and Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy, Andrea received numerous accolades and awards, some of which include being the first and only student representative from the Saginaw County Science and Engineering Fair to be awarded the namesake of a minor planet as a result of her placement in the international competition as well as being named as one of Roots Magazine Top 25 Young Futurists. And on top of that, she is one of two people from Saginaw to receive the Gates Millenium Scholar Award, a ten-year scholarship to cover unmet academic financial needs through a doctorate. Basically, she's been going to school for free since she left high school.
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Andrea was the first Black person to be recognized for her research on biochar and its value in improving soil and water quality. On top of being extremely smart, she's a jack of all trades, as she serves and contributes in numerous capacities and spaces. Along with being a life member of the NAACP, she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and demonstrates dedicated involvement and activism in various political, social, and community groups and organizations. As a modern-day activist, Andrea uses her platform to promote black excellence as instilled in her by her elders.
In 2018, Andrea married her high school sweetheart. During the height of social unrest and the pandemic, she and her best friend found an outlet by starting a fashion blog, “Melanin in Lilly.” The lifestyle brand is centered around motherhood, travel Disney, marriage, fashion (heavy on Lilly Pulitzer), and so much more.
“Andrea proves we can chart our own course doing what's not so popular.”
Did I mention that while working on her doctorate, teaching, and being an entrepreneur, she's a wife and a mother? And she's under 30! To my all peers who are considered nerds and like all things STEM, Andrea is the model for STEM education producing greatness. You don't have to play sports to be a legend. Andrea proves we can chart our own course doing what's not so popular. She is black girl magic personified. She is soon-to-be Dr. Andrea Pugh-Kelley.
