White House names two FAMU students HBCU All-Stars

The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHIHBCU) has named two FAMU students “HBCU All-Stars.”

FAMU students Jazmyne Simmons and Jamil McGinnis were selected from an application pool of 445 students to become HBCU ambassadors to the White House.

To qualify as an “HBCU All-Star” students must display excellence in academics and community involvement.

According to WHIHBCU Executive Director and FAMU alumnus George Cooper, the students will assist the White House in accomplishing its mission of “engaging with the next generation of leaders who will graduate from HBCUs and go on to make meaningful contributions to society.”

As ambassadors, the students will assist in advancing U.S. President Barack Obama’s goal of ensuring that a greater percentage of African Americans complete college through promoting higher education and WHIHBCU programs on their campuses, social media and at regional and national events. The students will also be charged with engaging with other scholars to showcase the individual and collective talent of the HBCU community.

McGinnis and Simmons are two of only 75 students in the nation that will represent the WHIBCU.

For Simmons, a Tallahassee, Fla. native pursuing a master’s degree in public health, being selected as an HBCU All-Star is an opportunity to give back to FAMU and the HBCU community.

“I’ve always been taught to work hard, but to actually see it payoff is inspirational. I am really humbled and privileged to be called upon to step up and promote FAMU and HBCUs. FAMU has contributed to my success in so many ways,” said Simmons, who recently completed an internship at the Centers for Disease Control and hopes to pursue a career in the behavioral sciences, including starting a  non-profit organization for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.