Two Bronx students are soon heading to their dream colleges following a special tour that brought them to nine historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in less than a week.
The tour, which spans Maryland to Georgia, is a way to “get kids out of New York City and show something other than the concrete jungle,” said Harry Watson, who attended the tour as a high school student and leads the tours for young people today.
Ryan Logan of White Plains will attend Winston-Salem State University and Kamani Williams of the South Bronx will attend Clark Atlanta University. Both students told the Bronx Times they never would have known much about these schools without the HBCU tour, which originated in 1986 and is now in its second year of partnership with the city Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). The fraternity Omega Psi Phi supported Logan and Williams throughout their journey.
The commissioner said the tours are a meaningful way to pay it forward.
“As a proud member of the first Black Greek fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, I was thrilled to launch the HBCU tours so that young people can share my experience: the comradery, civic engagement, educational support and lifetime bonds that come from fraternity and sorority life,” said DYCD Commissioner Keith Howard in a statement.
