A Better Chance TV with host Dr. Monique S. Robinson
Educational Conversations with Scholars in Mind. "Our mission is to empower and uplift scholars pursuing higher education at HBCUs, ensuring they have the resources, support, and opportunities needed for a successful future. Through mentorship, scholarship programs, and community engagement, we strive to create a pathway to excellence, fostering academic achievement, leadership development, and a strong sense of cultural identity. Together, we are building a brighter future for young scholars, strengthening the legacy of HBCUs, and fueling positive change in our communities."
A Better Chance TV with host Dr. Monique S. Robinson
Tomorrow's Changemakers: Scholarship Finalists Speak
Ever wonder what drives today's brightest young scholars to choose Historically Black Colleges and Universities? Join host Monique Robinson as she sits down with finalists for the prestigious Takesha A Davis Scholarship Award who share powerful insights into their educational journeys.
Meet Amari Bond from Baltimore, an aspiring music educator heading to Bowie State University this fall. Carrying forward a family legacy of HBCU graduates, Amari articulates how attending an HBCU will help him "connect to my roots" while preparing him to teach students from diverse backgrounds. His thoughtful perspective on how this educational environment will shape his future career reveals wisdom beyond his years.
We also hear from a student transitioning from Atlanta to Prairie View A&M University in Texas, who speaks candidly about wanting an education that "represents my legacy and more of my culture." Despite the nervousness that comes with such a significant life change, his determination shines through as he shares his vision of becoming an example of excellence and leadership. His powerful statement that HBCUs have been "a stronghold for people of color" throughout history demonstrates the deep understanding these young scholars have about the institutional significance of their college choices.
As these candidates await news about advancing in the scholarship competition, their stories highlight how HBCUs continue to nurture the next generation of leaders, educators, and changemakers. Subscribe to hear more inspiring conversations with these remarkable young scholars as they prepare to make their mark on the world.
Welcome to a better chance for youth television show with your host, monique Robinson, where we highlight, celebrate and recognize students from all over the country who are doing great things in the classroom, community and athletics. Every student deserves an opportunity, an opportunity for hope and a future. So let's celebrate our students, the next generation of teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs and future leaders. Join us on another incredible segment of A Better Chance for Youth show with your host, monique Robinson.
Speaker 3:Hello and welcome to another day of meeting our top 65 scholars who are in the running for the Takesha A Davis Scholarship Award. Now, yesterday we had some fabulous guests and today, I know for sure our guests today will measure up as well. So if you don't know, the Takesha A Davis Scholarship Award Award we have given this award for the last four years and every year it gets better and better. This year we have some really amazing candidates. Today we're going to meet a couple more. So coming first today is and I probably Mr Amari. So how are you?
Speaker 1:Good, how are you?
Speaker 3:I can't complain, it's a little hot in Texas, but tell us who you are, where you're from and what school you plan to attend in the fall.
Speaker 1:Oh, so my name is Amari Bond. I'm from Baltimore, Maryland, and I plan to attend Bowie State University.
Speaker 3:Oh Bowie. So why an HBCU for you?
Speaker 1:Because I feel that an HBCU will allow me to you know, connect to my roots and help me get a better understanding about the new generation and how you know other people function and how I can, kind of like you know, connect with other people I don't know, other people I've never met, and allow me to get experience I need for the real world.
Speaker 3:Awesome, awesome. That's kind of cool. I like that. So what will you be majoring in?
Speaker 1:I'll be majoring in music education.
Speaker 3:Oh, so is it vocal or instrumental?
Speaker 1:Instrumental, but I do want to dabble in vocal a little bit instrumental, but I do want to dabble in vocal a little bit.
Speaker 3:Okay, sounds good. I was vocal when I was in college, so near and dear to my heart still. So I love that. I love that Now, when you were preparing for the scholarship, we asked you to do an essay. Do you remember the essay? A little bit.
Speaker 1:Yes, ma'am, at least the topic. Yes.
Speaker 3:Okay, so what were your views on the topic?
Speaker 1:So the topic was how do HBCUs? You know mobile people and you know how will they affect you in your future career and I said you know I think an HBCU will affect my career because you know I'll get to meet a bunch of people from different backgrounds. You know see how they function, you know see how people live outside of Baltimore, outside of Maryland, and I think that'll definitely help me in the field of education, because you know education, you know you're dealing with kids from all types of backgrounds. You know, raised differently, see the world differently, function differently. So I believe attending an HBCU will allow me to at least get a little bit of practice for my educational career.
Speaker 3:Awesome, awesome. Well, excuse me, thank you for coming on and briefly introducing yourself as you transition through this contest. As you transition through this contest, I know that we will definitely have you back on here again because, because you know, cuts come out monday and I think it's the top 55 this first go-round, and how do you feel about that?
Speaker 1:I think I'm feeling pretty good feeling pretty good, awesome, awesome.
Speaker 3:Now, um, was it a teacher or someone that influenced you to want to go to an hbcu?
Speaker 1:someone that influenced you to want to go to an HBCU? Yeah, it was my parents, because they both went to HBCUs. Okay, my grandparents, my brother and my high school band director.
Speaker 3:Oh okay, so you come from a well-rounded family of HBCU graduates, so you kind of like legacy in that.
Speaker 1:Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3:Awesome. Well, thank you so much for giving us your time today, and I wish you much luck as you go through the contest thank you thank you, awesome, awesome. That isn't wonderful. We have, um, young people from all over. We have young people from all over. So, baltimore, maryland, I kind of wish I was up there because I'm in hot Texas. It's pretty hot here, but at least I'm inside in the air. Thank God for that. So, moving right along, we have another wonderful, fabulous guest, and let's see where this one is from.
Speaker 4:Hey, how are you?
Speaker 3:I'm doing good. All right, now tell us your name, where you're from and what school you plan to attend in the fall.
Speaker 4:Well, I'm just on board. I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, but I am in Texas right now San Antonio, Texas. Awesome, I plan on going to pay review Texas A&M for the fall this year.
Speaker 3:Okay, so you're going to pay review A&M in Texas in the fall. How do you feel about that?
Speaker 4:I'm a little bit scared, but I am happy that I'm going. I am happy that I'm going Okay.
Speaker 3:It's normal to be nervous when you are um going a little bit of ways from from family, but it's a good process as well, so why HBCU?
Speaker 4:uh well, at first it was a little pushing for my parents, but after growing a little bit I do want to go to a college that represents my legacy and more of my culture, and I think a hc hcpu is going to be best for that.
Speaker 3:So that's kind of the main reason okay, you said push you towards your culture, so do you? You plan to learn more about your culture when you're at your HBCU?
Speaker 4:I do want to learn more about my culture, since Texas isn't very heavy Again Atlanta. It's been 11 years since I've been there, so I would like to.
Speaker 3:Okay, that makes sense. You will find your tribe at an HBCU and then you'll also, um, learn a little bit more about yourself as well. I know I uh wish those are parts of my life that I dearly cherish when I step foot on campus freshman year, uh, and then I still treasure when I go back. So when you were preparing for this scholarship award, we asked you to do an essay. Do you remember the topic, by any chance?
Speaker 4:I remember it was mainly on the importance of HBCUs, mainly how they have kind of uphold the idea of the was it D-I-E-I, d-e-i, d-d-e-i, d-e-i?
Speaker 3:yeah, and mainly how I'm going to push the idea as well when I go to college was okay. So what was your stance on that?
Speaker 4:for the first part, I kind of see it more as they've kind of been a kind of like stronghold for people of color for a while ever since. Like the kind of inception and kind of like their growth has kind of shown that like we can be kind of like equals to other you know other colleges that aren't really focused for colored people. And then for the second part, I'm going to try and be my best self to kind of show that example of how we, as you know, as colored people, can actually be great leaders, can be, you know, people that can change the world. So that's what I kind of responded with to that question okay.
Speaker 3:So you're saying people of color, you want to be your best self as a person of color yeah, and just kind of show that, show that example, be that example in a way? Okay, be the person that you want to see. Yes, makes sense. Now, when you get on campus, do you plan on doing any activities or like student government, or are you just going to wait till you get there and see?
Speaker 4:I do plan on doing like probably U-turns. I'm probably going to do clubs and stuff like that. I will try and do that, yes.
Speaker 3:Okay, well, that is awesome and amazing. I do wish you much success as you go through this competition. I do know that Cuts will be on Monday and, as we get the list out and narrow it down, I hope to see you in the final 10.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I hope to see you in the final 10.
Speaker 3:yeah, I, I helped see myself in there as well. All right, thank you for coming and, uh, we'll see you next time. Yeah, no issue, bye.
