From March 29 through March 31, the Emma Willard HBCU College Tour made stops at Howard University, Delaware State University, Norfolk State University, and Hampton University. Director of College Counseling Dr. Ashley Bennett, and Associate Director of College Counseling Xavier McKinzie partnered with Head of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Prince Botchway and eight current Emma students—nine juniors, and one first-year: Tani A. ’27, Eni A. ’27, Kassidi C. ’27, Christine I. ’27, Raaha M. ’27, Teresa S. ’29, Pearl S. ’27, and Azania O. ’27. 

 

 

Although the HBCU College Tour was the first of its kind at Emma Willard, planning for the tour began years earlier with the arrival of Dr. Ashley Bennett in 2021. During her interview process, Dr. Bennett identified a need for greater cultural competency and broader understanding of the landscape of American higher education institutions.

“One of the things I knew I wanted to bring to the table in this role was the opportunity for students to learn more about HBCUs,” Dr. Bennett shares. “Initially, we had focused on trying to bring representatives from these colleges to Emma Willard. That proved both a geographical challenge, given that most HBCUs are located in the South, and a resource challenge that just wasn’t realistic for all these schools to be able to overcome.”

As a result, a cross-office collaboration began between the Office of Advancement and the College Counseling team. Interim Head of Advancement Karlyn Wilkins served as a key catalyst in bringing the vision for an HBCU tour to reality by identifying $25,000 in generous support from alumnae and other donors. Rather than hire a college tour company and to maximize the donor funding, Xavier McKinzie took on planning the entire trip from scratch. The result was a cost-effective but highly curated and deeply impactful journey for Emma students.

 

 

 

Keeping the planning in-house allowed for a lot of flexibility to adjust the schedule as they traveled. At Delaware State University, a planned 30-minute visit turned into a four-hour experience of an extended tour and meeting community members. “Every two minutes on campus someone wanted to come have a conversation with us,” says Xavier. “ They wanted to show the students their experiences. It was so great to see that people saw our students on campus and wanted to come talk to them.” 

Being able to connect with those on campus was also one of the things students cited as an important part of the trip. “My favorite thing about the trip was getting to hear so many good things about HBCUs after hearing mixed reviews and seeing how the students actually felt and a bit into how they operated,” wrote Raaha M-O.’27. “I also liked how the trip brought us all a bit closer to each other and we got to know a bit more about each other's expected majors. We also worked together on a song for Mr. Mckinzie lol, that was really fun. It was a fun experience and I'd most likely go for a trip like that again.”

Dr. Bennett previously worked with Delaware State University’s Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management and International Affairs Dr. Kareem McClemore, at another HBCU. He cleared his morning to meet our dynamic group of students on their trip, sharing his knowledge of Delaware State and the history of HBCUs in our nation’s history. He also took the group to Loockerman Hall, a historic site located on the Delaware State Campus,one of the original stops on Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad.

The HBCU College Tour also wove together stops with recent Emma Willard graduates Anyla Lee ’25 and Bernice Uwase ’25 (who are attending Howard and Hampton, respectively), and a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The trip and tour were an important collaboration between the college counseling team and Emma Willard’s office of equity and inclusion, showcasing that the school’s commitment to its DEIJB values extends to the college search process and beyond.

 

“It was a pleasure to partner with the College Counseling Department on such a meaningful and impactful HBCU tour,” shared Prince Botchway. “One highlight for me was our dinner at Busboys and Poets, a historic cultural hub in the D.C. area, where we were able to reflect on and process our visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Moments where learning, conversation, and community intersect are what make experiences like this so powerful and lasting for our students.”

The trip also allowed students to experience schools they might not have been as familiar with from a distance, and to add them to their list. “That was a proud moment,” says Xavier. “It wasn't just like, ‘Yeah, I've already looked at the school, seeing it confirms it’,’ they were like, ‘I’d never heard of this school and now I want to be here.’”

"I had an amazing experience on the HBCU Tour with all the students and teachers,” said Tani A.’27. “It was an opportunity for us to get a sneak-peek into college life at HBCUs."

“I remember turning to Prince and Xavier at one point and saying, ‘We’re creating core memories for these students right now,’” reflects Dr. Bennett. “That is as meaningful to me as I hope it was for our students—while I don’t know if the adults who influenced my journey realized it in the moment, I certainly could see it in the faces of our students on the HBCU Tour.”

 

---

 

Check out an instagram reel by Christine I-K.’27 for another look at this incredible experience! 

More photos from the trip are available on SmugMug.