HBCU Academy
Supporting California Community Colleges to HBCUs Transfer Pathways
Mr. and Mrs. Wynn were an integral part of my college journey—from identifying full scholarship opportunities to editing and proofreading my essays. They supported me every step of the way. — Jada (GA)NC A&T Cheatham-White Scholar
We met Mr. and Mrs. Wynn through friends of the family whom they had guided into full scholarships at both PWIs and HBCUs. They helped me to match my body of work to the right scholarships, and assisted me in developing my essays and packaging my applications so that I stood out. I received full scholarship offers from TSU, NC A&T, and the USDA/1890 National Scholars Program. — Caleb (GA)NC A&T Dowdy Scholar
I am the first in my family to go to college. I don't know what I would do without Mrs. and Mrs. Wynn being there to guide me every step of the way, not only into a full scholarship to pay for college, but each step of the way through college. — Ashley (SC)Benedict College Trustee Scholar
I was a 2-sport athlete, but I was not being recruited. Mr. and Mrs. Wynn helped me to shift my focus to developing my brand as a 'Scholar Athlete.' They also helped me to prepare for each of my scholarship interviews, resulting in full scholarship offers from Appalachian State and NC A&T. — Joshua (NC)NC A&T Dowdy Scholar
I did not have a clear college choice. As a triplet, I just knew that my parents could not afford to pay for 3 children entering college at the same time. The Wynns helped one of sisters get a full scholarship to Wesleyan University and then they helped my other sister land a full scholarship to NC A&T. When it was my turn, the Wynns encouraged me to visit Claflin University, where I received a full scholarship to the honors college. — Tristyn (GA)Claflin University Honors College
I love playing baseball, but I was not a recruited athlete. The Wynns guided me to Tuskegee University, where, as a Distinguished Presidential Scholar, I have a full scholarship, am majoring in mechanical engineering, AND, I am a member of the Tuskegee University baseball team. — Ryan (FL)Tuskegee University Distinguished Presidential Scholar
After entering the Spelman College Honors Program I still have a financial aid gap. The Wynns have guided me in identifying scholarships, developing well-written essays, and creating high quality applications. I have already received $20,000 per year as a CodeHouse Scholar and $10,000 per year as an ELC Scholar. — Joie (GA)Spelman College Honors Program
The Inspiration
Dr. Karen McCord, retired community college professor and Founder/CEO of Heritage Empowered, specializing in HBCU and Black Heritage Tours, invited our foundation into a collaboration to maximize the opportunities of community college students through the California Community Colleges Transfer Guarantee Pathway to Historically Black Colleges & Universities. Through this collaboration, our goals are to assist students in developing comprehensive strategies to qualify for competitive scholarships, match their educational and career aspirations to the right HBCUs, and develop debt-free or low-debt pathways through the next phase of their college journey.
To support this collaborative effort, our CEO/Founder, Mychal Wynn has drawn on his extensive experiences in expanding college access for first generation students. Mr. Wynn began his postsecondary journey at Chicago’s Kennedy-King Community College prior to matriculating to the Northeastern University College of Engineering. An adopted child and first in his family to attend college, Mr. Wynn is well aware of the unique challenges confronting first generation students in navigating their way through college and into careers without accumulating a lifetime of student loan debt.
Dr. McCord is supporting this collaboration through her vast network within the California Community College System and such programs as Umoja, A2MEND, EOPS, MESA, AANHPISAP, and the Puente Project. Mr. Wynn is developing “HBCU Scholarships…and more*.” This comprehensive book will exhaustively cover HBCU-specific scholarship opportunities, financial literacy, estimating college costs, reviewing financial aid award letters, and how to avoid student loan debt. Students participating in the HBCU Academy are further supported by a comprehensive online curriculum and provided with wrap around services to assist each student in developing a holistic set of strategies to achieve their educational and career aspirations through the transfer agreement.
Monthly All-virtual Meetings
Mr. Wynn currently developing the Why Attend an HBCU series of books as a reference source for students and is developing the online curriculum to further support students. All participating California Community College students will receive free books and 24/7 access to the online curriculum.
Mr. Wynn will be presenting all-virtual monthly sessions on the 3rd Saturday of each month to ensure that all students across the 116 California Community Colleges, have access to the Academy’s extensive resources, such as:
- 8 virtual monthly sessions covering pertinent topics and responding to questions as students work through the online curriculum.
- A comprehensive 24/7 accessible online curriculum with a plethora of units from which students may select and work through at their own pace.
- “HBCU Scholarships…and more*,” a 320 page book (also available on Amazon Kindle) providing comprehensive insight into the history of HBCUs and unique opportunities available at today’s HBCUs from guaranteed graduate school pathways to HBCU-specific scholarship and internship opportunities. The book contains examples and stories of real students and their scholarship outcomes.
- “Why Attend an HBCU series” to support a more focused approach to specific HBCU pathways. The series is anticipated to contain between 6 and 12 volumes.
- Wrap around support services providing guidance in:
- developing résumés and CVs
- developing high quality essay writing, that reflect your understanding of the mission, vision, and core values of the colleges and scholarship programs to which you are applying
- developing the financial literacy needed to understand financial aid award letters and student loan exposure
- developing a scholarship strategy as an admitted student to repay student loans prior to leaving college
- developing a pathway into and through an HBCU into graduate school
- developing a pathway into and through an HBCU into a specific private sector company or government agency
- maximizing available opportunities to developing the “body of work” in community college to compete for large dollar scholarships
- developing résumés and CVs
- Large group presentations and small group discussions reflecting the personal needs and future aspirations of participating students.
The first virtual session for the 2024-25 school year is still to be determined. After registration is open, students will receive:
- Login credentials to the online class
- A registration link to the Zoom Meeting
- A copy of “HBCU Scholarships…and more*”
During the first session, students will learn how to navigate the self-paced online classroom, receive an overview of available wrap around services, and be introduced to the plethora of opportunities available to students attending HBCUs, such as:
- HBCU-specific scholarships
- Guaranteed graduate school pathways
- Research and internships opportunities
- Post-degree employment opportunities through HBCU private sector and government partnerships
- How to identify schools offering the best support for each student’s needs, e.g., childcare, part-time employment, k – 12 schools, dietary, and mental health support
How to Register
Interested students must contact Student Services at their campus and registration may be made by their counselor or campus support personnel. After registration is finalized, students will receive the Zoom Meeting registration information, login credentials to the online classroom, and a copy of “HBCU Scholarships…and more*” from Student Services.
Registration is only open to California Community College students and must be submitted by an authorized CCC representative.
To register, someone from Student Services may submit this form or contact The HBCU Academy:
Ph: (470) 260-2470
Email: register@hbcu-academy.com
Heritage Empowered
P.O. Box 13336
Sacramento, CA 95813
Phone: (916) 616-5005
Email: info@heritageempowered.com
The first virtual session to be determined: