Students Chart Their Futures on Historically Black College Tour

After a 13-hour bus ride to the East Coast, students on the 2025 MMSD Historically Black College and University found the experience more than worth the drive.

The annual trip, which has now run for nine years with the help of MMSDs office of Family, Youth and Community Engagement, brings Black students from three of MMSD’s comprehensive high schools on a week-long trip to HBCUs across the country.

This year, students took a trip to Baltimore, touring Coppin State University, Morgan State University and Bowie State University.

“Being able to go to some of these HBCUs and feeling what campus life is like, and seeing how passionate everyone is about school was really inspiring,” Ajiefatou Sagnia, a junior at La Follette High School said. “Even though everyone doesn’t know everyone on campus, they still know each other on some level and want their peers to succeed.”

For most students Coppin State was the college tour highlight of the trip. MMSD happened to be touring the campus on High School Day, which meant they received plenty of attention from the university's staff and students.

“We got to tour the entire campus, got to eat good food and the community was great,” Namaiya Nellem, a junior at La Follete said. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this might really be the place for me,’ so I’m definitely going to apply next year.”

Student leaders at Coppin State sang and danced as they entered informational sessions, and the president of the school even made sure he had one-on-one time with MMSD students.

“I wasn’t even going to apply at Coppin State at first, but I really liked how the campus looked and I really liked that the president really wanted to talk to us,” Jaiyedyn Williams, a Memorial senior said. “After he talked to our group I went up to talk to him about school and my home life and everything in between — he was so understanding.”

After their conversation, Coppin State’s president got Williams’ name and phone number, and she was directly admitted on the spot. Another student from Memorial, Kelvin Washington was also admitted to Coppin State that day.

“The HBCU experience is really that opportunity to let our kids know, you can go to college and find your space to be successful,” Jones said. “HBCU Presidents want to offer that chance to succeed to as many students as possible.”

Jones has been the driving force behind MMSD’s HBCU tours since its inception, bringing in more advisors like Johnnie Milton, a multicultural coordinator at La Follette along the way.

To help jump-start that feeling of belonging, Jones, Milton and the rest of the MMSD team make sure there is plenty of time for MMSD students to bond with each other.

This year, while not at a university, students got to race go-karts, make their very own splatter paintings and visit The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum.

“The wax museum was my favorite part of the tour, because I learned so much,” Miesha Henley, a junior at La Follette said. “It really showed all of our history in America, from slavery and how disturbing that was — to how we overcame it as Black people.”

At the end of the trip, through the school visits, activities like painting or even just sitting on a bus together, the students all agreed that they had made deep bonds with each other. 

“Even when we’re in Madison we’re around other students from around the district who are also in the Black Student Union, but we never really interact with each other,” London Tafer, a senior at Memorial said. “So just being able to talk with everyone and play games on the bus or in our hotel rooms was one of my favorite parts of the trip.”

That experience, one where students can get out and explore the world with their peers while learning about the opportunities available at an HBCU while having fun, is what the trip is all about for Jones. She says the experience helps form positive bonds across the district, which makes everyone’s high school experience better.

“I’ll make students go sit with and talk to students from other schools they’ve never talked to before,” Jones said. “It’s so important not just for the energy of the trip, but the energy students bring back with them to Madison.”

Of course, none of this would be possible without Jones, Milton and everyone else who help not only for the trip, but for their students year-round.

“Milton has always been there for me, he’s somebody at school that I can trust with anything,” Nellem said. “I wouldn’t have the grades I have today without him either – he’s always pushing me to make sure my work is done, and done well.”

Without that push to always be better than you were yesterday, most of the students on the HBCU tour feel like they wouldn’t be the same person they are today.

“When I was a freshman I was super quiet, but Mrs. Jones kept pushing me to join BSU leadership,” Faith Ambahe, a senior at Memorial said. “Now I just keep doing stuff that I never thought I could do, and it’s because of her.”