13-year-old girl becomes youngest Black student accepted into medical school
By Sheyla Fairley
After only graduating high school a year ago, 13-year-old Alena Analeigh Wicker has been accepted to the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL.
Wicker plans to begin her studies in 2024 after getting accepted through the university’s Burroughs Wellcome Scholars Early Assurance Program, which partners the school with HBCUs across Alabama to provide early entry to students who meet the requirements.
“I graduated High school LAST YEAR at 12 years old and here I am one year later I’ve been accepted into Med School at 13. I’m a junior in college. I’ve worked so hard to reach my goals and live my dreams. Mama, I made it,” posted Wicker on her Instagram.
For more details, read the full article here.
Collaboration between Sanofi and HU on pharmacy fellowship program
By Sheyla Fairley
Sanofi, a global healthcare company, has partnered with Howard University’s, Washington, DC, College of Pharmacy for a two-year fellowship program for students earning Doctor of Pharmacy degrees.
“At Sanofi, we recognize that work-force diversity correlates strongly with creativity, successful problem solving and visionary innovation,” said John Reed, MD, Ph.D, global head of research and development at Sanofi. “This collaboration with Howard University will allow us the opportunity to foster the next generation of scientists from historically underrepresented communities. We look forward to working with the fellows as they begin their training and become Sanofi team members who will undoubtedly help contribute to frontier innovations as we bring the next generation of life-saving medicines to patients worldwide.”
For more information, read the full article here.
Travis Hunter signs NIL deal with digital banking platform for people of color
By Sheyla Fairley
Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, football cornerback Travis Hunter has signed a NIL deal with Greenwood, a digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals, to be the face of the brand’s “Choose Black” campaign.
As stated in a release, the goal of the initiative is to celebrate and support “trailblazers in the Black community who’ve [made] personal decisions that will benefit the community in years to come.”
“I don’t just partner with any brand, I have to believe in what they are doing, and they have to believe in me,” said Hunter. “We have to share similar values, and if there is a benefit to the larger community, that is always something I look for. I want to be able to use my voice to make a difference and help inspire those around me.”
HBCU Founders Initiative partners with UNCF TechVentures to launch HBCU Pre-Accelerator program across HBCUs
By Sheyla Fairley
The HBCU Founders Initiative (HBCUFI), a nonprofit organization supporting HBCU students and alumni interested in entrepreneurship, is collaborating with UNCF TechVentures, a tech-focused entrepreneurial education and training program for Black students, to launch the HBCU Pre-Accelerator program.
According to an article, the purpose of the program is to “scale entrepreneurial education and training across HBCU campuses and provide dedicated support to on-campus pre-accelerator programs that support entrepreneurship and the launch of student-led ventures.”
“By building local capacity, we will be helping to foster a culture of innovation on campus and in the surrounding community. Ultimately, we hope to establish dedicated acceleration programming at dozens of HBCUs launching hundreds of African American-led startups that attract millions of dollars of investment capital, and in so doing, creating thousands of jobs on an annual basis,” said Marlon Evans, HBCUFI President.
Read the full article, here.
Partnership between Pinterest and /dev/color to invest in Black tech talent
By Sheyla Fairley
Pinterest, an image sharing and social media service, has teamed up with /dev/color, a global career accelerator for Black software engineers, technologists, and executives, for a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership.
As stated in a release, the partnership between Pinterest and /dev/color will focus on “advancing careers of Black engineers and technology leaders at Pinterest, recruiting Black technologists at all levels and specialties with a focus on machine learning, and building relationships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country for future partnership and sponsorship opportunities.”
“We’re thrilled to take our work with Pinterest to the next level to support Black technologists and leaders throughout the industry. Together, we will invest in Black software engineers, executives, and founders in ways that are real and sustained” said Rhonda Allen, Chief Executive Officer of /dev/color.
