The U.S. Department of Education Aug. 3 announced that two students at Edward Waters University are among the 2021 Presidential Scholars selected by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Brianna Pendergrass, a junior majoring in biology, is an EWU Honors College Alpha Cohort member and current Miss Edward Waters University.
Naim Brown is a senior business major and immediate past president of the university’s chapter of the NAACP.
It is the first time two EWU students were selected HBCU Presidential Scholars in the same academic year.
They were chosen from more than 200 applicants attending 105 historically black colleges and universities for their achievement and accomplishment in academics, leadership and civic engagement. Candidates were endorsed by their university presidents and submitted a transcript, resume, essay and a letter of recommendation.
“The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Scholars Program’s longstanding commitment and emphasis upon platforming the very best and brightest amongst our students and showcasing their exceptional high scholarship and demonstrable leadership on a national stage speaks directly not only to the continuing contemporaneous relevance of HBCUs but equally underscores the uncontroverted depth of extraordinary talent that our institutions continue to produce and possess,” said EWU President and CEO A. Zachary Faison Jr. in a news release from the university.
Brown, Pendergrass and Faison will attend the 2021 HBCU Week National Annual Conference Sept. 7-10 in Washington, D.C.
This year’s conference theme is “Exploring Equity.” At the conference, the students will be recognized at an awards ceremony and participate in sessions about entrepreneurship, innovation and personal and professional development.