The UNCF Empower Me Tour Visited LA to Provide Scholarships & College Admission To HBCUs To Local Students

On December 6th, the UNCF Empower Me Tour stopped in Los Angeles, CA and was bigger and better than ever! Highschool students from the Los Angeles area had a chance to experience on-site college admissions, college prep workshops, scholarships available on-site, numerous HBCU representatives on hand, and much more. Created over 15 years ago by founding sponsor Wells Fargo, the Empower Me Tour is designed to inspire students to take control of their futures by pursuing a four-year college degree and graduating with an education that prepares them for robust life engagement and successful careers. EMT was created to educate students and parents on financial literacy and help them understand how to financially support their college education.

Photo Credit : Tim Carver

With over 250 students in attendance, attendees got to experience many panel sessions including “Guy Talk” where male panelists chatted about the many issues facing young people and offering encouragement and empowerment and “My Black Is Beautiful: Girl talk” where women empowered and provided participants an open dialogue with leaders, breaking down the perceived standards of beauty. These panel sessions were open to all participants at the UNCF EMT LA stop.

Photo Credit: Tim Carver

High school students who attended the EMT conference received expert tips on college preparation, the HBCU experience, personal finances, empowerment, and personal branding advice. They also had the opportunity to interview on-site with select colleges for admissions and scholarships at different colleges and universities during the event. Throughout all of the UNCF EMT stops more than 14 million dollars in scholarships have been given out to numerous scholars. With LA being the latest destination for the Empower Me Tour, more than 1.5 million dollars were awarded at this one stop!

Photo Credit: Tim Carver

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community, and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees, and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarships, internships and fellowships, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 50,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® 

Make sure how to get involved and follow them at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.