Why Are Hbcus Important To Me?

HBCUs are often not given the credit they deserve in molding young students of color into prideful and talented students ready for a workforce catered to their white peers. These students may have been accepted by HBCUs when no other school accepted them because of their race or scores, giving them the chance for opportunities found only in a college setting they were close to not receiving. The benefits of an HBCU education outweighs many of the so-called “disadvantages” many sites such as the “lack of diversity”, at least to me. I believe that through an HBCU education I will gain valuable social skills, a strong network of people in a variety of fields, and a better understanding of African American history in an environment made for students like me.

From the yearly homecomings to the festive concerts to the illustrious Greek Life; HBCUs are known for their vibrant student cultures and social events. As someone coming from a school that mostly lacks school spirit and being a person who is naturally timid and quiet, going to a school with a strong community and lots of school spirit can help me finally get out of my shell and gain better social skills. Though you can do this at any school with a large social life, being around a crowd of people who look like me and share similar experiences as I do can make things easier as I
become less of a wallflower in my college years.

As I previously stated, HBCUs are known for having strong communities with a family-like nature.
Many of these campuses have strong alumni bases who support former classmates and students who graduated even recently through the professional careers. Still, the networking opportunities for HBCU students do not stop there, often you may find HBCU graduates showing solidarity with graduates from other HBCUs through helping them through their career journey. HBCUs are connected in a way that other colleges just can not compare. The networking opportunities I can get at one HBCU can show me opportunities with graduates from all the
others.
HBCUs are especially connected by their history, they aren’t called Historically Black Colleges and Universities for nothing! This means that HBCUs have a lot of history to tell, especially when it comes to black history. I want to major in history and I believe that learning at an HBCU will expose me to history that I haven’t been able to learn in school before. Many stories in history are ignored or not researched enough to be taught in elementary history classes, especially when it comes to the history of black people. At an HBCU, however, black history is at the forefront and it will be much easier to do research about black’ history and the history of other people of color.

HBCUs are important institutions in the narrative of black America. Still, even though they give so much they often get so little in return, especially when it comes to respecting these schools. I believe, however, that an HBCU education is just as prestigious as the education you can receive at an Ivy League or “Top-20” school. HBCUs can help me through their networks, cultures, and strong history departments, and they can help so many other students if they will just give an HBCU education a chance.