PSUSD students are preparing for a Historically Black Colleges/Universities & Hispanic Serving Institutions tour

PSUSD students are preparing for a Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCU) & Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) tour. Two sets of dates will highlight multiple schools. The Historically Black Colleges/Universities kicks off on March 23 and will run until the 29th. The Hispanic Serving Institutions tour will run from April 1 through the 6th.

It costs almost three thousand per student, and the district covers that cost. The students don't have to worry about flights, housing, food, and admissions to any excursion, but they are asking for donations from the community for coats and to help students get novelty items while on tour.

"Without anybody to, like, look up to or inspire you, you kind of just like, question what you're going to do in life," says a 2023 HBCU tour participant, Jonah Grubbs.

He attended the historically black college and universities tour last year, his first time stepping onto college campuses. "It was a lot to interpret," says Grubbs. I remember big buildings, a lot of big buildings, a lot of people, and very fast-paced."

He says this opportunity fueled him and shaped his purpose in his life to go after big goals. "I have two little brothers, Molokai and Micah, and I'm planning on adopting them in the year 2026," says Grubbs. He shared that he wants to be the representation for them that he did not have growing up. He understood the challenges of his goal, but once he experienced the tour, he really started to brainstorm his next steps.

Grubbs and the group visited 4 schools, including Coppin, Howard, Norfolk, and Morgan State. This year, twenty four students have been chosen to go on the seven day HBCU tour. They will go to the MLK monument, Smithsonian, and more.

Another group of 24 students will attend the Hispanic Serving Institutions tour like Kip Del Aguila

They will visit Texas State, St. Edward's, Concordia University Texas, Austin Community College District, and the University of Texas at Austin. "I never thought I would have a chance outside of the state," says Kip Del Aguila, 2024 HSI tour participant. "So for me, I feel like it really motivates kids knowing that, yes, a lot of hard work, but it will pay off if you get in."Del Aguila shared that while she was in sixth grade, she already knew what she wanted to do. She wants to major in Biology and do research on stem cells.

Grubbs may not be attending an HBCU after graduation, but he says it changed the trajectory of his life. He went from having no plan to knowing exactly what he wanted to do. "It made me think for one that I could be somewhere and do something if I want to because seeing people around, you know, your same race, it's very empowering," says Grubbs. 

Colleges:

Howard University

Bowie State University 

Norfolk State University 

Morgan State University

Cultural Studies:

MLK Monument

Abe Lincoln Memorial

Reflection Pool

Smithsonian

Great Blacks in Wax

If you are interested in connecting with HBCUs and are not going on the tour, you can attend the 25th Annual Los Angeles Black College Expo on Sat, February 10, 2024, at 10:00 AM. 

Los Angeles Convention Center (South Hall)1201 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90015

Colleges:

Texas State University 

St. Edward's University 

Concordia University Texas 

Austin Community College District 

University of Texas at Austin 

Cultural Sites:

Bob Bullock Museum

Blanton Museum

History of San Marcos Tour

Below are photos from previous years of the tours.