| Three North Carolina A&T State University students have been named to the 2015 HBCU All-Stars list by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHIHBCUs).
Kristen Shipley, a journalism and mass communication major, Angelica Willis, a computer science major and Student Government Association president Austin Ogletree, an industrial and systems engineering major are a part of this year’s cohort of 83 undergraduate, graduate and professional students selected out of more than 450 applicants.
“I am so humbled to have been selected as an HBCU All-star,” Ogletree said. “I am grateful to have even been chosen amongst the university's best and brightest talent.”
Over this year, he, Willis and Shipley will serve as ambassadors of the WHIHBCUs by providing outreach and communication with their fellow students about the value of education and the role of the Initiative as a networking resource.
Providing outreach for their areas of interest is what excites all three students about being named to this list. Ogletree will focus on President Obama’s 100K Strong in the Americas initiative that aims to send 100,000 minority students to study abroad by 2020. Willis will focus on entrepreneurship.
“A&T is a hotbed for free thinkers and world changers,” Willis said. “A program like this would bring about a big movement toward entrepreneurship – in all aspects, a key component to local and global economies that is important for a sustainable future for America.”
In addition to engaging with her fellow students about voter registration and the promotion of STEM education, Shipley looks forward to gaining additional experiences in leadership and networking.
“I’m hoping to gain a deeper connection with my campus community and getting out and being able to do programs that involve the entire student body,” Shipley said. “I’m also hoping to do some personal development, learn how to properly put on a program and just make A&T look great.”
The All-Stars will participate in this year’s White House HBCU Week Conference in September, participate in various national events and web-based chats with WHIHBCUs’ acting executive director Ivory A. Toldson and other Initiative staff. |
