Stanford University student Taylor Hall has participated in the only HBCU exchange program. She was determined to follow in the footsteps of her parents and grandmother by attending an HBCU. She planned to join a school with an exchange program with HBCUs since it was financially unfeasible. Hall is the only student participating in Stanford’s exchange program since the pandemic halted it. 

Her idea of the college experience was “the HBCU experience,” and she finally gets to live out her dream. Over the summer, she began her junior year at Spelman College. In November, the Black Community Services Center opened applications for next year’s HBCU exchange program. In the program, undergraduates can study at an HBCU while pursuing a Stanford degree. The program currently partners with Spelman College, Morehouse College and Howard University.

Students can study at HBCUs for up to a year through the program. According to Rosalind Conerly, the associate dean and Karr family director of the Black Community Services Center, the number of students accepted to the program depends on bed space. Students participating in the program are guaranteed housing at the partner schools.

Hall said she had had the opportunity to explore herself and who she wanted to be. Because of her course load, including Afrofuturism and Data in the African Diaspora, she feels comfortable discussing her experiences as a Black woman.

“It really allows you to take in what you are learning in relation to yourself, as well as in relation to whatever the course values are,” Hall told Stanford Daily.

The HBCU tradition of “Fried Chicken Wednesdays,” where the dining hall serves the soul food she missed at Stanford, is among what Hall has enjoyed and learned at Spelman. She also soaked in lessons from pageants to weekly markets that showcase Black-owned businesses.

“It changed my perspective on how I want to go through college,” Hall said. “It really made me realize college is about the connections you are making. It’s about how you feel and about the clarity that you want to get moving forward.”

Kayla Patterson, a graduate student scholar at the Black Community Services Center, shared her love and appreciation for the rich history of HBCUs.

“There’s a lot of history that goes into all HBCUs, and I just feel like it’s a really great way for students at Stanford to really engage with that history as well as just look at things from a Black lens,” Patterson said.

Hall emphasized the program’s value for students on the fence about HBCUs. 

“It truly is a once in a lifetime program, a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Hall said.