Attending an HBCU taught me the importance of being the conductor of my own life. Before coming to Spelman, I knew that I was intelligent but unsure of how I would match up with every other intelligent Black woman from all the other states. Quickly, I learned that while I was intelligent, the standard that Spelman has for excellence would require me to do something I hadn’t before, seek out academic help. It was obvious to me that no one was going to coddle me and if I was struggling, it was primarily my job to figure out how to overcome it. As a pre-med major, I knew that my grades had to be flawless, but I struggled my first year having to adjust to being away from home and diving into a world of newfound freedom and independence. Going to my professor’s office hours helped me create a bond with them and they better understood my drive and long-term academic goals. This was beneficial in the long run because they wrote me beautiful letters of recommendation that helped me get into medical school right after I graduated. I enrolled in tutoring services and when the time came, I even became a tutor myself. Despite the noise about lack of resources at HBCU’s, I always felt like I had everything that I needed to excel.

On the personal side, my HBCU has truly made me the woman I am today. Being early, prepared, and confident were engrained into Spelman’s makeup and thus have stuck with me even after I graduated. Being exposed to the diverse history of Black people in my courses and having Black professors pour into me was an invaluable experience. My HBCU has given me lifelong friends, mentors, and an unspoken connection with any Spelman woman I encounter around the world.