HBCU Top 30 Under 30 2019

An HBCU education is truly a privilege. It provides a priceless atmosphere for students of color to receive a solid education while instilling unapologetic confidence.  In the current national climate of heightened racial tensions, a volatile political environment, and an impression that most are only out to help themselves, we are thrilled to celebrate how 30 passionate young minds took their HBCU foundation and made history.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) produce more than a quarter of all African-American graduates in the country and are responsible for producing many of the nation’s black leaders. Iconic civil rights leaders, doctors, religious leaders, bankers, writers, Olympians, lawyers, musicians, engineers, actors, humanitarians, professional athletes, educators, scientists, and politicians have been educated at HBCUs.

Every year, the HBCU Top 30 Under 30 honors talented young men and women who are making remarkable strides in a variety of industries including sports, STEM, entertainment, media, business, public service and fashion. Among this year’s nominees are a star female rapper, an agile NFL quarterback, a community activist bringing fresh produce to the inner city, and a viral YouTube influencer. Check out the former classes here.

This year, with a record-breaking amount of nominations, we are exceptionally proud to present the 5th HBCU Top 30 Under 30 class. Congratulations to the young leaders who have been recognized, and congratulations to the esteemed HBCUs that have indisputably provided a strong and lasting foundation for the leaders of today and tomorrow.

2Tishauna Wilson | Florida A&M University

Tishauna Wilson is a Tampa-born Computer Science student at FAMU, nicknamed the “Next Black Female Mark Zuckerberg.”  

Tishauna discovered an affinity for STEM early on in her childhood. We had the chance to repair computers. She learned how to code in HTML and repair computers by high school as a student top 2% of her class. In 2016, Tishauna started attending Florida A&M University to learn programming in C++.

Since going to college, she has continued to research and learn more. She previous research has covered detecting credit-card fraud, detecting fraud in conversations, and developing a voice-activated, self-driving drone, and a basketball referee system.  While interning at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a Software Engineer, she has practiced updating a current software with newer technology using Java, Spring Boot, SQL, and Toad.

She recently won a $10,000 McDonald’s HBCU Forward Scholarship at the McDonald’s 365Black Awards at the McDonald’s 365Black Awards for developing tech-based programs at FAMU. The scholarship was funded by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. She was honored alongside successful women like Sheryl Lee Ralph, political commentator Symone D. Sanders, and Black Girls CODE CEO Kimberly Bryant.  

Ironically, however, she initially considered pursuing a degree and career in the entertainment industry.  She thought she wanted to become a music producer and a film director. When that didn’t click for her, she found her passion in pursuing computer science. Follow Tishauna Wilson on Instagram and Twitter.

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