Eight Venice High seniors and two chaperones embarked on their annual trip to historically Black colleges and universities in Alabama and Georgia from February 28 to March 1.

The students on the trip visited five HBCUs: Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL; Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta; Clayton State University in Morrow, GA; Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA; Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL. 

The aforementioned universities are all top-quality schools and have lots of prestige.

Senior Zane Seaborn enjoyed Tuskegee. 

“They had a club called the Cali Club for students from California,” said Seaborn. “Most of them were from L.A., so it just had a better vibe than the other campuses.”

Despite college visits being the primary focus, the students “got to see a lot of the South during the trip,” according to senior Gabriel Ginn.

Much of this sight-seeing was done through the tour bus that cruised throughout the Deep South.

These eight students visited the colleges with the hopes of receiving acceptances to some of them, with both Ginn and Seaborn getting into Clark Atlanta University. Ginn was also accepted into Morehouse College.

“I think Morehouse is a very good school, so I’d probably go there,” Ginn said. “Even though it’s an all-boys school, it’s connected with a bunch of other schools that I could take courses at.”

BSAP counselor Evelyn Knox highlights the quality of all students abroad, with “many of them being accepted into multiple universities.”

Even while on the trip, students were still given the opportunity to apply to colleges that interested them.

“Students applied like normal, but they also had direct links for these colleges that they could apply to if they hadn’t applied yet,” said Knox.

College decisions coming out during the tours allowed for many unique experiences, with each student given full support by those running the nation-wide trip.

“One of our students, senior D’Anthoni Coleman, found out that he had gotten accepted to one of the schools when we were leaving,” said Knox. “Even though it was late, he still was given a celebration at the airport.”

Despite the abundance of prestigious universities throughout the country, many African-American students find themselves drawn to historically Black schools for a multitude of reasons.

“The biggest factor is being part of a community, because when you see a school where others look and seem similar to you, you feel as if you’re at home, which I can attest to from my experience on the trip,” said Ginn.

“But I think regardless of if you want to go to a Black institution or a white one, as long as you’re at home and can build a community there, it shouldn’t really matter,” he said.

These students were also given the opportunity to experience something greater than touring colleges: traveling across the country with other seniors their age.

“I loved the hotel experience,—it was fun talking with people from other schools, we even made friends with students from other states,” said Ginn.

Overall, the HBCU trip provides African-American students with a quite enriching opportunity, fostering a deeper connection to their cultural and academic heritage.

“It’s a great chance for students to have experiences going out of state, for one, but also getting accepted to colleges and visiting them,” said Knox. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity, not just for African-American students, but for any student to go and see a historical university.”

“We all live in a bubble, regardless of our race. Seeing others that are like you thrive can broaden your own point of view,” Ginn said. “It makes me think that I don’t have to limit myself to just this one area, and that there’s more for me out there.”