DU student invited to attend White House HBCU Initiative

17th September 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Victoria Clark
Contributing Writer

For the young lady who’s travelled over a thousand miles from home to attend college in New Orleans, traveling a few thousand more to take on a week of Washington D.C. is all in a days work.

Chevel Powell, 19, a political science major and senior at Dillard University stands out amongst her colleagues for her strong work ethic and dedication to service.

This month, Powell will join 62 other students as 2018 Competitiveness Scholars for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Powell, a native of Westmoreland, Jamaica who attended The Manning’s School and Montego Bay High School said it was in New Orleans, at Dillard, that she discovered her talents.

“Chevel has been very active on campus, and I think this is a great way for her to end her collegiate career,” said Walter Kimbrough, Dillard’s president, to whom the responsibility fell to nominate a Dillard student for this initiative. Powell is the fifth Dillard student to be named a Competitiveness Scholar since 2014, and this year she is one of two students selected from New Orleans. Powell will participate in the initiative with undergraduate, graduate and professional students from 54 HBCUs across the country.

Powell will travel to the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. as part for the 2018 National HBCU Week Conference from Sept. 16-18. The conference theme is “HBCU Competitiveness: Aligning Institutional Missions with America’s Priorities.” Scholars selected to the conference must have demonstrated strong academic success, campus and community engagement and entrepreneurial abilities.

“Chevel, while quiet and reserved, has had a stellar career at Dillard,” Kimbrough said. “From serving as a resident assistant to being a member of our nationally-ranked mock trial team, she has been consistently excellent.”

Powell will be recognized on Sept. 17 during the initiative’s Excellence in Innovation and Competitiveness Award and, during the conference, she will receive professional development training through leadership workshops.

“I hope that this experience will enhance my leadership skills and allow me to make connections that will not only be personally beneficial but beneficial for Dillard as well,” Powell said.

The White House Initiative on HBCUs started out as an Executive Order that President Jimmy Carter signed in 1980. Since then, the program has expanded to include programs like this initiative to support HBCU students before they enter the workforce. The main goal of the initiative is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. This program not only celebrates Black students and their accomplishments, but it has been known to provide outreach, engagement opportunities and resources for scholars as well.

“I think the White House HBCU Scholar program was a great idea to expose more of our students to Washington, D.C. I’m glad there has been a continued commitment for the program,” Kimbrough said.

To go to the nation’s capital, the heart of law making, is in line with Powell’s experiences at Dillard as part of the university’s successful Mock Trial team, which ranked fifth out of 23 teams at the regional competition after only two years of existence. These mock trial practices would last for about four to eight hours a week. Powell said this is one of the ways she has learned to become responsible.

“I have a desire to be the best… I always kind of pushed myself to be better,” Powell said when referring to academics.

Powell wanted to study abroad to get out of her small town and gain exposure of a new place. She said she has worked hard at Dillard to ensure she honors the sacrifices of those who have given her the opportunities she has received so far.

“My mother inspires me because she works hard to allow me to be here,” Powell said of her motivation. “So, when I think about how hard she works, I work harder.”

This article originally published in the September 17, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.