Charlotte, N.C./Oct. 3, 2023 – In late July, Biology major and Nigeria native John Josiah ’24 was named a 2023 White House HBCU Scholar.
The White House HBCU Scholar program was founded in 2014 to honor students who embody the culture of excellence and inclusion championed by the nation’s HBCUs. Josiah and the other 101 undergraduate, graduate and professional students named to the list spent National HBCU Week at the end of September in Washington, D.C.
“I was thrilled to meet many students like myself with unique backgrounds, all of whom were doing amazing things on their campuses and making an impact in a myriad of ways,” said Josiah. “Over the course of the week, I relished the chance to interact with as many of them as I could, swapped stories and made memories that I am hopeful will last a lifetime.”
When Josiah arrived Sunday, Sept. 24, he had the unique opportunity to meet with President Valerie Kinloch and Ivory Toldson, a former appointee of President Barack Obama who appointed him as the executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs. Toldson conceptualized the White House HBCU Scholars.
Throughout the week, Josiah had the chance to participate in a number of networking opportunities and workshops on the topics of economic development, career readiness, leadership and research and innovation.
Josiah said a standout event from the week was when he participated in the HBCU Scholar Hackathon.
“The objective of the Hackathon was for teams of 10 students to choose a NASA technology and come up with a product or service that utilizes it to enhance, evolve or improve life on HBCU campuses,” he said. “My team and I pitched an idea that could potentially utilize NASA’s Activated Metal Treatment System to detoxify Sargassum seaweed plaguing some of America’s coastal cities.”
Josiah said the White House HBCU Scholars program goes above and beyond to highlight excellence in academics at HBCUs.
Despite making up just 3 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities, HBCUs graduate 40 percent of all Black members of Congress and Black engineers, as well as 50 percent of Black lawyers and 80 percent of Black judges.
“Drawing attention to the remarkable achievements of HBCU scholars showcases the impact these institutions are making and underscores the potential for greater accomplishments with increased resources,” said Josiah. “Moreover, empowering HBCU scholars through education and opportunities extends beyond the students to their families, as these individuals become catalysts for economic mobility and progress in communities that have historically faced barriers.”
Josiah is a model student displaying the impact of an HBCU education right here at JCSU. In Nov. 2022, he and two other classmates were named University Innovation Fellows by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.
In June 2023, he continued working with Stanford as an intern focused on researching cardiovascular disease.
He says his long-term goal is to pursue a degree in healthcare so he can impact health outcomes for underrepresented populations.
Josiah urges students to stay committed to change.
“Stay curious and committed to driving change, no matter how small, and find joy in doing so,” he said. “My access to transformative opportunities stemmed from a dedication to excelling in minor tasks. More often than not, they serve as stepping stones to bigger opportunities.”
Josiah thanked former president Clarence D. Armbrister for writing a recommendation letter for him and said his interactions with Dr. Valerie Kinloch, JCSU’s current president, makes him feel confident that other JCSU students can count on the support of faculty and staff as they pursue their dreams.
