HBCU Fellowship

Building Bridges Education and uAspire are proud to announce a collaborative policy fellowship to advance postsecondary pathways that provide academic excellence and cultural affirmation to historically underrepresented students.

OUR SHARED VISION

Elevate Student Experience: 
Place the lived experiences of marginalized students at the heart of state-level educational policy and advocacy.

Expand HBCU Presence: 
Work actively to bring the rich legacy and transformative power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to the Massachusetts ecosystem.

Bridge Opportunity Gaps:
Address socioeconomic inequities by developing policy recommendations that strengthen pipelines between students and HBCU institutions.

APPLY TODAY

Fellows Will Work On The Following

  •  Research and draft policy memos for the upcoming legislative session about specific barriers to HBCU enrollment and retention for Massachusetts residents and that outline the socioeconomic impact of increasing HBCU access.

  • Research policy in other states to identify effective policies advancing financial aid parity and dedicated grant programs for students to attend HBCUs.

  • Draft policy frameworks that encourage formal "bridge" agreements between the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and HBCU institutions to streamline credit transfers and admissions.

  • Design policy proposals that ensure HBCUs are represented in all state-funded college readiness programs.

  • Identify and build a database of key influencers within the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and local school committees to target for advocacy outreach.

  • Develop "Action Alerts" and a social media toolkit to mobilize students and families to contact their local officials regarding HBCU-related policy.

Fellowship Goals & Responsibilities

While the program celebrates the cultural legacy of HBCUs, its primary objective is to build the foundation for an advocacy strategy in the 2027 legislative session. Fellows will be tasked with completing the research, landscape analysis, and strategy development to identify effective policies and Massachusetts-specific policy levers to increase affordable pathways to HBCUs for Massachusetts students, with training, guidance, and mentorship from uAspire’s Massachusetts Policy Director.

  • Ms. Femi Stoltz, Policy Director, uAspire

    “The aim of this fellowship is to take steps toward shifting the HBCU conversation in Massachusetts from a series of successful events to a sustained, policy-backed priority within the Commonwealth’s educational budget and legislative agenda. uAspire is proud to collaborate with Building Bridges Education to provide a fellowship opportunity to college students to research and strategize policy solutions to connect more Massachusetts students to culturally affirming HBCUs."

    ABOUT uAspire

MEET THE TEAM

  • Ms. Femi Stoltz

    POLICY DIRECTOR

    Ms. Stoltz is an advocate for college affordability and access, and is excited to guide our Fellows through a policy-focused journey, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to translate research into practice and advance equitable postsecondary outcomes.

  • HBCU Fellow

    Mizani Benjamin

  • HBCU FELLOW

    Jolana Thirkill

  • HBCU Fellow

    Leah Pires