Normandie’s HBCU Empower Scholar Grant

I am attending an HBCU because of the black excellence within these institutions – the richness of heritage, culture, movement, empowerment, and the freedom to be unapologetically black among my peers and scholars. HBCUs provide connections, personally and professionally, and mentors with people that know and understand the struggle of succeeding in a world where black people are continuously thriving, striving, and creating opportunities for the next generation to follow. HBCUs were created so that black people could have a voice and a chance at a better life beyond Jim Crow laws and civil rights; these institutions formed an atmosphere for scholars to come to and be bigger and better than themselves - going into the world and spreading knowledge and leadership. The founders of HBCUs destroyed barriers so that generations, probably beyond their wildest expectations, could be in a world where a black person could be just as or more successful than their white counterparts. This is the legacy I have been charged with by my family of HBCU graduates and I am driven to fulfill the goal and make my roots part of an HBCU institution. Of course, there are the HBCU experiences many people are aware of such as athletics, Homecoming celebrations, Pan-Hellenic Greek organizations, clubs, and socializing, however, the commitment and honor of continuing education at a higher level are expected to succeed through the educational experience motivates me to attend an HBCU. HBCUs offer the gift of being among like-minded, highly educated individuals that understand and look like me, come from the same history and walk of life as my ancestors and myself and be in the presence of people that want to uplift, educate, and give back to the community that shaped and cultivated them - this is the beauty of attending an HBCU.