As a proud alumna of an HBCU, I know the power of attending a college that celebrates your identity and enriches you with pride and affirmation. When I think about that power now, I reflect back to a student I met several years ago who at the time was in the 10th grade. She was struggling to find her way in high school and risked an uncertain future.
Two years later, when she chose to attend Morgan State, my alma mater, we reconnected, and I was optimistic and excited for her that it would be the place where she could realize her potential.
As high school seniors begin the exciting, yet stressful, process of deciding which schools to apply to and which school to attend, it is important that we showcase to Black students the power and the potential that HBCUs offer. 
Anna Taylor
Graduates of HBCUs have foundation-setting experiences that lead to success. About 40% of HBCU graduates report they are thriving financially, as compared with 29% of Black graduates from Predominantly White Institutions, according to a Gallup-Purdue University study. More than half of HBCU graduates strongly agreed that their college or university “prepared them well for life outside of college,” compared to less than 30% of non-HBCU black graduates, the study said.
And while HBCUs represent a tiny fraction of the colleges in the U.S., they graduate 40% of Black health professionals and engineers, 50% of Black lawyers and 80% of Black judges.
As the leader of my organization’s efforts to ensure our students stay in and graduate from college, I have made encouraging students to consider HBCUs as a higher education option a one of the priorities of my work. At our 55 public charter schools that educate over 20,000 students, we name our classrooms after colleges, including HBCUs, and once our students are in high school, we make sure that HBCUs are a regular part of our college placement process. We encourage students to attend HBCU tours and HBCU college fairs, teach our students about the history of HBCUs and we invite our alum currently at HBCUs to come back and talk with our students about their experiences.
