Last weekend I had the privilege of attending a beautiful wedding in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of my closest friends was in the wedding and everything was great including the weather which reached a beautiful high of 80 degrees that day. The couple that got married both attended a historically black college/university (HBCU) and went on to obtain advanced degrees at other highly respected institutions. The bride is a member of a sorority and the groom is a member of a fraternity, which both hold prominent places within the black community. Towards the end of the reception, the groom and his groomsmen began to pay tribute to their fraternity by singing songs and performing a mini-step show. It was fun watching them and feeling their energy and it gave me a warm feeling inside and reminded me of my college days.
Like the bride and groom, I also attended a historically black university. It is rare that I am invited to weddings where almost the whole wedding party and most of the guests have gone to an HBCU. The feeling was remarkable and inspiring and made me once again appreciate the decision I made to attend my university. I see it as a blessing to be a part of a community of people who share the commonality of attending an HBCU. We all remember the struggles and the strengths of our college days and have similar stories to share about our schools. For the most part, I think that people who have never attended a historically black college or university frown upon the idea and cannot completely grasp the pride that a person has when talking about the specific HBCU they attended. My heart goes out to individuals who have never experienced life at an HBCU because it appears as if they missed out on a tremendous growth opportunity. I really recognized this when I attended graduate school at a predominantly white university and began to meet black undergraduate students who seemed very lost and out of touch with themselves. The one thing I know for sure about attending an HBCU is that it instills in its students a sense of pride about being black that other colleges/universities are not able to do. It is also very comforting to look out on a campus and see reflections of yourself and to meet other people who share some of your same values.
At times, I take my college life for granted and forget what an enriching experience it was on certain levels. I am always grateful when I get good reminders of my past and when I can do a little reflecting about my college days. The wedding I attended provided me with the opportunity of witnessing two people in love make a life long commitment. It also served to remind me of what a lucky person I am to have had the wonderful experiences I have had so far in life. God has blessed me in many ways and making me attend an HBCU was just one way in which He has shown His love for me. There were many schools and many paths that I could have chosen when I was younger. I am grateful that my path crossed with certain individuals and certain schools and I look forward to better and more abundant journeys in the future.
Like the bride and groom, I also attended a historically black university. It is rare that I am invited to weddings where almost the whole wedding party and most of the guests have gone to an HBCU. The feeling was remarkable and inspiring and made me once again appreciate the decision I made to attend my university. I see it as a blessing to be a part of a community of people who share the commonality of attending an HBCU. We all remember the struggles and the strengths of our college days and have similar stories to share about our schools. For the most part, I think that people who have never attended a historically black college or university frown upon the idea and cannot completely grasp the pride that a person has when talking about the specific HBCU they attended. My heart goes out to individuals who have never experienced life at an HBCU because it appears as if they missed out on a tremendous growth opportunity. I really recognized this when I attended graduate school at a predominantly white university and began to meet black undergraduate students who seemed very lost and out of touch with themselves. The one thing I know for sure about attending an HBCU is that it instills in its students a sense of pride about being black that other colleges/universities are not able to do. It is also very comforting to look out on a campus and see reflections of yourself and to meet other people who share some of your same values.
At times, I take my college life for granted and forget what an enriching experience it was on certain levels. I am always grateful when I get good reminders of my past and when I can do a little reflecting about my college days. The wedding I attended provided me with the opportunity of witnessing two people in love make a life long commitment. It also served to remind me of what a lucky person I am to have had the wonderful experiences I have had so far in life. God has blessed me in many ways and making me attend an HBCU was just one way in which He has shown His love for me. There were many schools and many paths that I could have chosen when I was younger. I am grateful that my path crossed with certain individuals and certain schools and I look forward to better and more abundant journeys in the future.
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