HBCU Tour PUSHes Students To Excel

citizen |

by SheRico Jones

This past Saturday, 80 high school students and 20 chaperones left The Rainbow P.U.S.H. Coalition headquarters for the 13th annual HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) tour. Over the course of the week, they will visit nine historically Black colleges across the country including: John C. Smith; Howard; Clark-Atlanta; North Carolina Central; Tuskegee Institute; Spelman; Morehouse; Alabama State and Bennett.

Highlights of the two-hour tours include seeing everything from the dorms to the cafeteria, meeting with university presidents, talking with admission advisors and career counselors and getting answers to questions about grades, enrollment or financial aid. Fraternities and sororities also perform for the students.

PUSH hosts the event to make sure students are exposed to institutions of higher learning, especially African American institutions. The purpose is to encourage them to go to college, excel in education and graduate. In addition to the HBCU tour, PUSH offers numerous scholarships. For more information on these and other programs, visit the Rainbow PUSH Coalitions website: RainbowPush.org.

The tour, however, is not free. There is a fee of $360 per student which goes towards expenses for the week.

According to PUSH, the total cost of the trip is more expensive than the actual nominal fees that are paid. Students get to stay in nice, quality hotels and the tour is open to 9-12th graders. Tours take place once a year during spring break. Any student who wishes to attend must apply, write an essay, attend two writing workshops, submit their grades, be eager to excel in education and have a passion to go to college and visit universities.

To apply for next years HBCU tour visit: pushexcel.org.

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