How a Historical Black College was the perfect choice for this Riverbank High grad

My parents attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Atlanta, my father at Morehouse College and my mother at Spelman College.

I went on an HBCU tour the summer before eighth grade. I never considered attending one until after my junior year of high school. That’s when I started to notice a lack of Black male leaders in Stanislaus County.

I grew up in Riverbank, where Blacks make up less than 2% of the population. I was often made fun of for talking too properly or having interests outside of sports. I was tired of the stereotypes and some classmates saying athletes and entertainers were the only successful Black people.

I knew an HBCU would let me be myself and explore all of my interests without resistance from others. I could unapologetically be myself.

Even though my dad attended Morehouse, I didn’t want to go there at first. I didn’t think he was cool and we didn’t share all the same ideologies. He wore suits, didn’t like rap music and thought I had to cut my hair to fit into the corporate world. That’s not me. I want to wear Jordans, listen to Li’l Baby and wear business casual attire.

Simply, I wanted to be myself, so I wasn’t sure Morehouse was for me. So, I started researching HBCUs, including using social media.

I used hashtags on Instagram and direct messaging people about their alma mater. Out of all the responses from alumni from several schools in California and those nationwide, Morehouse alum were the most helpful, including a law student and a venture capitalist. They embodied the person I wanted to become. Surprisingly, these relationships all started from an Instagram DM.

Now a junior at Morehouse College

I am now a junior at Morehouse. It was very surreal at first. I went from being one of the four Blacks to graduate in my high school class at Riverbank to being surrounded by 7,000 Black college students who were pursuing their dreams, just like me.

We had shared life experiences, in part, because of our skin color, but we also have diverse thoughts and interests. I’m learning to break my own stereotypes and to create my own community, unlike any I had before.

America sadly has a history of seeing leadership roles only for white men. Not at Morehouse. There, I am in an environment where Black men and women are leaders in their respective industries. It’s allowed me, and my classmates, to know we can do the same.

I am living one of my life’s philosophy, “Your network is your net worth,” because of the connections and networking opportunities. I’ve had internships at some of the global leaders in media and communications, including NBC Universal, CNBC and Microsoft.

These internships have allowed me access to leaders in my field and build skills that will enhance my career opportunities. They’ve also helped me socially to prepare for corporate America.

For Black students in Stanislaus County, we’re definitely in the minority and I encourage you to look at HBCUs — because of the access to Black professionals, a greater sense of belonging and to be in a space where you can truly be yourself, free of others’ stereotypes or limits on your ambitions.

Moving 2,500 miles from home and writing a story of my journey makes me vulnerable, but I hope my journey helps to inform other prospective college students and community leaders who are committed to helping our county’s kids succeed.

This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.