An Alcorn graduate was selected for this year’s White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity HBCU Scholars.
Ronnie Davis ’23, a Collins, Miss. native, is a member of the 9th cohort of 102 HBCU Scholars from 29 states and countries.
“I feel honored and amazed,” said Davis. “Hard work really pays off. It will be a great experience for me.”
Currently enrolled at 70 of our nation’s HBCUs, this group of HBCU Scholars was selected from a competitive pool of over 300 applicants. Over the course of an academic school year, HBCU Scholars will serve as ambassadors of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the U.S. Department of Education, and their respective HBCU.
“Our 2023 HBCU Scholars are talented students who embody the culture of excellence and inclusion championed by our nation ’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and everyone across the Biden-Harris Administration, I congratulate each of our 2023 HBCU scholars on this prestigious recognition and thank them for their commitment to serving their communities. I’m thrilled to see the HBCU Scholars program continue to expand its reach and provide such exciting professional development, networking, and educational opportunities to some of our nation’s brightest and most promising young leaders.”
A critical component of the HBCU Scholar Program is a partnership with NASA to foster innovation and opportunity for the cohorts. This partnership with NASA makes the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovation Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC), “Mini MITTIC” part of the HBCU Scholar Program. Through the Mini MITTIC program, HBCU Scholars will partner with one another to developing ideas to commercialize technology derived from NASA intellectual property that can improve their campus and surrounding communities. HBCU Scholars will have the opportunity to present their IP ideas in-person at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland during the National HBCU Week Conference in September.
“NASA’s MUREP is thrilled, once again, to engage with the White House Initiative on HBCUs to enhance the learning experience for this year’s cohort of White House Scholars,” said MUREP manager Torry Johnson. “We are looking forward to the new ideas that the Scholars develop at the MITTIC Hack-a-thon using NASA’s technology portfolio and our continued overall support of the HBCU community.”
HBCU Scholars will also be invited to the 2023 HBCU Week National Annual Conference, which will be held on September 24-28, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, Virginia. This year’s conference themes are, “Raising the Bar: Forging Excellence Through Innovation & Leadership.” During the conference, HBCU Scholars will participate in conference sessions designed to engage a spirit of innovation, leadership, and personal and professional development. Most importantly, HBCU Scholars will have opportunities to engage with one another, initiative staff and partners all to further showcase their individual and collective talent.
Following the conference HBCU Scholars will be invited to participate in programs, event and monthly master classes that are designed to enhance HBCU Scholars professional development and create greater access to post-graduation opportunities within non-profit, business, and federal agency partners to ensure that as a nation we remain globally competitive.
More information about the 102 HBCU Scholars’ activities will be provided in the coming months as they serve as ambassadors of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
