We all know the impact that A Different World had on Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ enrollment rates & excitement from black high school students.
After the show’s ending, the morale, exposure, & enrollment rates for many HBCUs began to decrease. There were so many elements in that show that was extremely relatable to the African American Community and many HBCU experiences that were directly exposed high school students considering higher education.
I transferred from a PWI to an HBCU after my freshman year. After becoming extremely engaged with campus activities and the HBCU culture in the Atlanta University Center, it dawned on me that there are so many high school students back in my local community, and around the world, that have no idea of these experiences & or empowering, unified culture. Many may hear about it from recruiters or staff, but rarely get a taste or preview of that experience themselves, even during college tours. With that, and knowing how much talent lives in our youth, I decided to bring that HBCU experience directly to high school students.
Pageants at Historically Black Colleges & Universities are less focused on ‘beauty’ and more focused on tradition, culture, and empowerment. These are values that our communities need. Many institutions drop the ball when it comes to tapping into the power & influence of the performing arts. Overall, the arts have a huge impact on people’s thoughts and decisions. It leaves an impression. It provokes thoughts.
This pageant is an avenue to use arts to influence and excite youth in our communities. We partner with current & previous HBCU campus Queens, HBCU Alumni Associations, and local educators to establish a supportive community that ensures a successful pageant program is produced.
We are the first and only team to produce a pageant exclusively girls of color committed to attending HBCUs. We encourage community support as it reflects not only the culture at Historically Black Colleges & Universities, but also the values we encourage on our contestants.
The Miss HBCU Teen Scholarship Pageant aims to benefit the community full-circle; starting with students, connected with alumni associations, partnered with supportive businesses, and led to our prestigious HBCUs.
