It was never my intention to attend an HBCU. I had my heart set on one particular PWI (Predominately White Institution) since I was in the seventh grade. When I started applying to college, I was only going to apply to that one school, having complete and utter confidence that I was going to get accepted, and not worrying about any other schools.
However, my mom encouraged me to apply to other schools, and since I only focused my attention on that one school, I simply applied to the schools she went to, which included North Carolina A&T.
Granted, I did get accepted into the PWI I had my heart set on, as well as A&T. But after visiting North Carolina A&T, I immediately changed my mind and decided to attend the HBCU.
Even though I’m only being a freshman, I have learned a lot of lessons in these few short months.
Here are the five things I learned from attending an HBCU:
1. Black excellence is a real thing. This is the first thing I learned when I arrived at A&T. People come from all over, and they have achieved some amazing things. To see people that look like you doing great things, despite what the media shows, is a breath of fresh air. I have friends who have incredible internships this summer, and friends that have great paying jobs waiting for them after they graduate.
2. Professors and staff are actually invested in your success. Already, as a freshman, I have built relationships with professors that truly want to see me succeed. They are more than willing to help me achieve my goals. Being apart of the honors program makes this extremely prominent for me. The faculty that work for the honors program is completely dedicated to the success of honors students. They provide information about scholarships, internships, and creating personal relationships with each student. It has already made a huge difference in my college experience.
3. The campus is one big family. We support each other. As a black millennial, its crucial to have that family-like support from your peers, and it is really uplifting. For example, I’m Student Government Association, and together as a whole, SGA is a huge family within campus itself. When Miss and Mr. A&T went on to compete for national pageants, everyone from SGA and the campus was very supportive in their journeys before, during, and after the pageant.
4. You truly become aware of issues happening in the black community. Not saying that I was completely ignorant of what was going on in the black community before attending school, but attending an HBCU has completely opened my eyes on the different topics and issues that our community faces, and it has made me “woke.” Many of my professors use these issues in their lesson plans, giving us a relevant education. Just the other day, my English professor, Mrs. Gunthrop, incorporated current issues within the black community and related them back to the Civil Rights Movement. We had a very thought provoking discussion, and I learned so much from that lesson.
5. Lastly, not all Black people are the same, and yes other races attend HBCUs. There is so much diversity withini the African American race. People come from all over to attend our school and they bring their traditions, slang, and fashion with them. Most people have the perception that HBCUs do not allow other other races. Not true. We have Caucasian students, Asian students, Middle Eastern students, and other races that attend A&T. Everyone is accepting of everyone’s different cultures, and that’s what brings the campus together. I have a friend that is White, and she herds and shows cows. When she told me about her love for herding cows, it really interested me because I had never been exposed to that type of lifestyle. On the other side, she is very interested in my suburban background.
I’ve only been here at A&T for almost seven months, and I have learned so much already. I’m sure I will continue to learn throughout these next 3 years to come. I am so grateful that I chose to attend an HBCU, but especially the illustrious North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
-Kourtney Smith, a proud HBCU student.