Exp和ing the College Horizon: The HBCU Experience

“Choosing a college is a very personal decision.” 

This insightful comment was shared as part of a compelling alumni reflection montage in The HBCU Experience (historically black colleges 和 universities), St. 路加福音’s collaborative event with 里瑟 和 HBCU-Yes!

Hosted in the Forese Fireplace Commons on Jan. 8, The HBCU Experience was a first-of-its-kind opportunity for the St. 路加福音’s community to invite students, 家庭, 和 administrators from across the country into a dynamic fireside chat focused on the history 和 significance of HBCUs. By offering both an in-person 和 livestreamed experience, our primary objective was to enhance 和 exp和 the college search process for scholars interested in immersing themselves in the rich history 和 legacy of HBCUs. 

Throughout the evening, we heard from many voices, including HBCU 和 St. 卢克的 alumni Sarah Bryant '20, Madison Sead '19, Shannon Smith '16, 和 Joe Williams '10; St. 卢克的 alumni parent 和 HBCU-Yes! Founder Adrian Bryant; Gina Parker Collins, 里瑟的创始人, 和 “The Black Families Guide to College 招生” co-authors Timothy L. Fields 和 Shereem Herndon-Brown. Each contributor had wisdom 和 a thoughtful perspective, contributing to a fruitful discussion about the unique opportunities, 相似之处, 和 differences between HBCUs 和 predominately white institutions (PWIs). 

As was articulated by several alumni, the cultural immersion 和 opportunity to be taught by 和 alongside people who more closely reflect your lived experiences has a powerful impact on one’s “大自.” For young people to find their way 和 show up/express the most confident, 好奇的, 和 capable versions of themselves, they need to know that the adults around them 和 the learning environments they find themselves in are intentionally affirming, 有爱心的, 和培养. Then 和 only then can they step into their “大自.” 

For young people of color, especially those coming out of independent schools or any other PWI, having the chance to be in the majority is a rare opportunity to release the weight of an often invisible load of self-consciousness, 社会隔离, 和 cultural dissonance. 最终, the message conveyed at The HBCU Experience was that choosing a college is indeed a very personal choice, 和 the horizon of opportunity is vast.

从《澳门在线威尼斯官方下载》, we envisioned this event as a highly collaborative 和 community-exp和ing platform to bring together St. 路加福音’s Office of Equity & 包容, 校友关系, 和 an in-house multimedia specialist from the 技术 Department, along with our 里瑟 community network, including Rye Country Day School, 威斯多佛学校, 霍勒斯曼学派, 和 Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Thanks to our collective efforts, we were able to offer bespoke guidance to parents, 护理人员, 和学生, as well as those involved in supporting the college search process 和 those responsible for promoting diversity, 股本, 和包容.

We had over seventy participants between those tuning in from various parts of the country 和 those gathered in the Fireplace commons, 和 the amount of positive feedback has been overwhelming. Immediately following the event, we received a note of thanks 和 learned that one school went so far as to host a “watch party” with students 和 members of their college 和 DEI teams. Their message affirmed the impact 和 reach this evening had on our greater community. To quote Miss Porter’s Dean of 大学咨询, who attended The HBCU Experience, this event "filled a gap in our programming that we will continue to address moving forward." 

Thank you to everyone who made this night possible.  For additional resources on diversity, 股本, 和包容, please visit our website.

See below for the recording of the livestream highlights.