What Is The Importance of Attending a HBCU (Historically Black College/University)?

What Is The Importance of Attending an HBCU?

By Reginald Delaney

Introduction

Recently, a friend asked me if she should attend a HBCU. Her primary concern was whether or not she would be able to compete with her peers in Corporate America.  My response to her question follows. I based my response on my experience and the experiences of others.

The Decision to Attend a Historically Black College/University

When I was considering colleges to attend after high school, I had the same question that you have. Should I attend an HBCU or go to one of the larger public schools. I narrowed my choices to Tuskegee and Georgia Tech since I wanted to pursue an engineering degree. I knew that Ga. Tech had a very highly respected engineering program, but I didn’t know much about Tuskegee’s program. I did my research and concluded that I could be just as successful in my chosen profession whether I went to Ga. Tech or Tuskegee. I was still left with trying to decide which one was best for me. What won me over was talking to individuals that had attended HBCUs and seeing the gleam in their eyes and the smiles on their faces as they recounted the years they spent in college. It was almost magical to watch. I knew that I wanted to experience this. So Tuskegee it was.

Transition Phase

My first semester was a little tough, primarily because of the homesickness. I didn’t have a roommate that semester, but I did make a few new friends. I spent most of my time going to class, studying, and keeping my room as dark as possible to placate my somber mood. Nevertheless, I made all A’s my first semester. Immediately, my attitude changed. I began to believe what the teachers at Tuskegee had been saying all along. They were constantly telling us how we could accomplish anything that we set our minds to accomplish. If we apply ourselves and believe in our own abilities, no task is too great for us to achieve. These messages began to sink into my very being. When I would sit in the classroom, I actually felt “love” being poured into the classroom. It may sound strange, but that is exactly how it felt. It seemed that I was being taught by a community of individuals that was aware of what I would be facing when I stepped through the doors of corporate America, and they wanted to do everything in their power to prepare me for that.

Prepared for Success

Well, I was prepared….and when I hit corporate America I was armed for battle. There was no way I could fail. Even on the days when I knew individuals were intentionally trying to sabotage my efforts, there was no stopping me. I was too strong mentally to be defeated. I spent 21 years in my profession experiencing success after success. 13 of those years were spent managing and supervising others. I now own my own business. (That’s another story for another day.)

Embrace the Power Within

Know this; there will be people that will dislike you simply because you are you. It wouldn’t matter if you were blue, green, purple, white, black, turquoise…..they just won’t like you. The point of the matter is you must not ever let anyone else define who you are. Once you are grounded in your own self-worth and self-value you are unstoppable. I remember overhearing one of my engineering peers talking about me to another engineer that had asked where I had gone to school. This was the comment made by my peer…”Reggie went to some little Black school in Alabama. I don’t remember the name. He’s kinda smart though”. It was kind of humorous when you think about it, because from projects that I had worked on with this guy, I remembered thinking how did he ever get an engineering degree. So, never look for validation of your self-worth from anyone other than yourself. Do your best at whatever you do and feel good within yourself that you have done so.

Any Regrets

I would not change my decision for the world. If you were looking at me now as I write this response, you would see a gleam in my eyes and a smile on my face.

This message was a little longer than I planned, but I hope it helps. Best of luck to you and God bless.

Reggie.