It’s giving HARD LAUNCH!! Eleise Richards is exhibiting HBCU pride to the fullest and we love to see it! The 2010 Howard University grad made it a bucket list goal to visit over 90 of the HBCU campuses.
The New Jersey native says the trip was because of the students she connected with through her Nonprofit organization, Experience The Legacy. Richards spoke exclusively with The Shaderoom about her journey and reason behind the visits.
“I was meeting many high school students who never heard of HBCUs. It made me remember my own experience and how I, too, never was taught anything about HBCUs.”
“I’m also a first-generation American/ college grad, so my parents and family couldn’t help me learn, and I only ended up going to Howard because my best friend said she wanted to go, and so I wanted to go with her, lol.”
Richards decided to complete her goal of visiting multiple HBCU campuses during her 2 month sabbatical from work. “Wanting to grow my advocacy for HBCUs, I realized it felt a little disingenuous (to me) encouraging students to consider schools that I myself didn’t even know much about,” she writes.
“I also became curious after continuously hearing so many negative stereotypes about HBCUs — how they’re all in the hood, they don’t receive funding, they aren’t safe, no one attends the small schools, etc etc. So I wanted to see for myself!”
14 days and 16 states later, Richards says she “wishes the HBCU experience on every college bound boy and girl,” and hopes she has done a small part in making that happen.
