The fourth quarter of the year is the season for homecoming, and it’s the Christmas equivalent for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Each year students gather together to celebrate Black excellence through a variety of activities. Very few things compare to the magic of tailgates, marching bands, step shows and food. However, HBCU culture is much more than the glory of homecoming season.
While the world is enamored by HBCU homecomings, this spotlight comes second to the academic prowess of the students who proudly attend these institutions. HBCUs are rooted in the rich tradition of producing Black scholars, entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers and just about any other career you can imagine. Recognizing this commitment to excellence, HP has created specific programming to amplify the voices and work of HBCU students.
Building on active partnerships with HBCUs, Tunde Agboke, Retail Education Advocate at HP identified the need for a conference that addressed the unique challenges students face regarding continued development and networking in the tech industry. Based on this commitment to invest in HBCUs and the passion of HP Account Manager Boz Bell, the HBCU Technology Conference 2021 was created.
The first-ever technology conference just for HBCUs occurred over five virtual sessions held across multiple days during September 2021. The tech conference provided specific tracks for IT staff, faculty, staff and administration and students.
Over 150 students from 29 different schools registered for the conference’s Bot-A-Thon. Students were tasked with developing use cases that might benefit or improve the student experience at their institution. Recently, Blavity had the opportunity to learn about three of the student participants and how their work led them to the AfroTech Conference.
Robots are the Future
Nwanne Onumah, Shelia Malone and Mahlangu Nzunda from Jackson State University, alongside team member Mphande Phiri from Alabama A&M University, participated in the inaugural Bot-A-Thon at the HBCU Tech Conference, and they did not come to play. This team of HBCU students entered two ambitious projects in the competition. The first was a robot that will be clutch for student-athletes. The bot addresses time management issues so these students can better balance all the responsibilities they have on and off the court.
“Our bot leveraged power app, power automate, SharePoint, Microsoft forms and Power BI for its automation,” Onumah explained.
The second project this team of students submitted is called PHinisheD, an MLA/APA style editor that allows students to write their thesis on the go. The bot is an all-in-one system that allows its users to enter the required information for their paper, then voila — the bot completes the styling and formatting and uses an AI model to analyze the sentiment of the text. Once the bot has done its thing, the final paper is emailed to the user in a Word document.
If this sounds impressive, that’s because it is. The team placed second in the Bot-A-Thon, proving their idea will be a viable resource to those who access it. The additional winning teams of the inaugural HBCU Tech Conference include:
1st Place: Chukwu Uzor, Jemima Egwurube, John Idoko and LaNitria Thorn (Texas Southern University)
2nd Place: Mahlangu Nzunda, Nwanne Onumah, Shelia Malone and Mphande Phiri (Jackson State University and Alabama A&M University)
3rd Place: Whenume Hundeyin, Abisola Olanipekun, Abiola Olanrewaju and Olade Opaola (Bowie State)
It’s the Impact for Me
HP delivered on all cylinders, from network events to keynote speakers to providing insight into the future of tech. The HBCU Tech conference provided a space for each attendee to grow, learn and be challenged. The past two years presented immense challenges, but HP delivered a world-class virtual experience where attendees could still be engaged without being in person.
“The most impactful part for me was HP having the foresight to develop an environment that understands that the non-STEM students and employees need to become more involved in the digital transformation,” says Malone.
The inclusive environment at the HBCU Tech Conference provided safe spaces for individuals to connect around the power of technology all while being honest about the challenges that are unique to HBCU students and how one can leverage technology to advance society in a way that benefits all of humanity.
To AfroTech and Beyond
Onumah, Malone and Nzunda all got to take their tech conference experience up to the next level. A few weeks after the HBCU Tech Conference, the trio gathered in the metaverse of AfroTech. Hosted by Blavity, the three HBCU students were able to be immersed in a world that complemented the skills and growth gained at HP’s HBCU Tech Conference, while networking with other industry leaders and tech recruiters.
“My most memorable experience was speaking with Chris Locklin, Grammarly's Engineering Manager, one on one. When I approached the Grammarly booth to ask some questions, Chris asked me to follow him to a talking place, where we spent about 10 minutes discussing what it's like to work at Grammarly, what skills they employ and what kind of individual may thrive on their team,” Nzunda recalls.
Representation matters, and the HBCU Tech Conference and AfroTech proved how gathering a group of like-minded people with similar ethnic roots is a cheat code. Seeing people who look like you, doing similar things as you, makes what could have been a pipe-dream a tangible reality.
To learn more about how HP put together this first-of-its-kind experience for HBCU students and to anticipate future experiences, visit here.
This editorial is brought to you in partnership with HP.
