Story by Isaac Davis
What is an HBCU? Where are HBCU’s located? What does HBCU stand for? These are the questions that curious minds drive to ask when hearing the acronym HBCU. An HBCU, Historically Black College University, is a college or university that was initially founded to educate students of African American descent. HBCUs were created to provide education for African Americans when education was limited to the races. HBCUs are primarily located on the East Coast and Southern geographical regions of the United States, except for Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, located in Los Angeles.
This past week, the 23rd Annual U-CAN HBCU Recruitment Fair came to EGUSD (Elk Grove Unified School District), specifically Valley High School to recruit many African American students to HBCU’s. Some illustrious HBCUs in attendance were Delaware State University, Morgan State University, Clark Atlanta University, Fisk University, and many others. Students were given the resource and opportunity to connect with the many geographically and culturally diverse universities and colleges and “on-the-spot” admissions, scholarships, and fee waivers.
Ari Rios, a senior, calls the opportunity “Plan and organize for higher education because it gives me the resources and information in order to apply and proceed in my studies.” Rios recalls the resources as an educating matter because it furthers her knowledge on taking advantage of these resources. Ari Rios states, “This opportunity excites me for college because it lets me get a glimpse into what attending an HBCU will be like and the kinds of people I’ll be there with.” She is most excited about the change in an environment both culturally and demographically.
Kalani Harris, a senior, says, “These opportunities help to plan and organize for higher education because we are getting the insight on what we need to do in order to get into our dream schools.” Harris states how opportunities like these increase her resources in furthering her education. Kalani Harris expresses, “This opportunity makes me excited for college because you see everyone’s different points of view of college, and it makes you wonder how your story will play out.”
These opportunities create an upbringing in resources for African American students. And bring a change to creating a pipeline to higher levels of African American students attending a 4-year university/college, community college, vocational school, or trade school.
