Charlotte, N.C./July 21, 2023 – Johnson C. Smith University Biology student John Josiah ’24 and 101 undergraduate, graduate and professional students from across the U.S. were named 2023 White House HBCU Scholars.
“Our 2023 HBCU Scholars are talented students who embody the culture of excellence and inclusion championed by our nation ’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and everyone across the Biden-Harris Administration, I congratulate each of our 2023 HBCU scholars on this prestigious recognition and thank them for their commitment to serving their communities. I’m thrilled to see the HBCU Scholars program continue to expand its reach and provide such exciting professional development, networking, and educational opportunities to some of our nation’s brightest and most promising young leaders.”
Josiah’s cohort is the largest since the inception of the program in 2014. He and the other honorees were selected from a competitive pool of more than 300 applicants. Throughout the next year, he will serve as an ambassador of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the U.S. Department of Education and Johnson C. Smith University.
Josiah will have the opportunity to engage in professional and personal development, cross-university networking and the chance to explore ways in which issues uniquely impacting HBCUs can be addressed. In September, he will be invited to the 2023 HBCU Week National Annual Conference to participate in sessions designed to engage a spirit of innovation, leadership and personal and professional development.
This announcement adds to Josiah’s impressive list of accomplishments. The Nigerian native is always looking for ways to develop himself while at Johnson C. Smith University and during his holiday breaks.
In Nov. 2022, Josiah and his classmates Purity Gumede ’25 and Tanaka Mbavarira ’24 were named University Innovation Fellows by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. The JCSU fellows are tasked with creating student innovation spaces, starting entrepreneurship organizations, facilitating experiential workshops and working with faculty and administration at the University to develop new courses.
“At JCSU, I have also had the privilege of leading student groups in various capacities, which has helped me develop my leadership skills,” said Josiah.
On June 12, Josiah continued his work with Stanford University through an internship where he is conducting research on one of the world’s leading causes of death: cardiovascular disease.
“I have a passion for research, and even before I began applying for internships, I knew I wanted to participate in one focused on clinical/translational research,” he said. “Through this internship, I have been privileged to be exposed to world-class research and gain an understanding of the tools and resources used in executing them.”
As a part of his internship, Josiah was named an American Heart Association Scholar, which allows him the opportunity to attend scientific sessions at the University. He found the internship through personal research and recommendations from his friends.
Prior to this internship, Josiah has been drawn to experiential learning opportunities. In 2022, he attended a multi-day workshop at the Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing and was invited to participate in the Yale Program to Advance Training in Health and Science.
With a long-term goal of pursuing a career in healthcare that will enable him to improve health outcomes for underrepresented populations, Josiah gives glory to God for keeping him grounded and providing him with opportunities to learn and grow. He is confident his connections at JCSU have allowed him to continue building professional skills that will help him realize his dreams.
“The greatest gifts JCSU has given me are the community of friends I have made and my professors,” he said. “I have been fortunate to have professors who are highly committed to my success, and I have formed productive relationships with them. The friends I have also spurred me toward success by challenging me and ensuring that we all bring out the best in each other.”
