Shaw University Welcomes Hundreds To Campus For High School Day
Raleigh, NC – The Friday (March 15) event broke Shaw’s open house attendance records, and was a real “party with a purpose” – over 640 students had a chance to learn about Shaw’s academic programs, tour the main campus, and get a glimpse of all that Shaw had to offer.
Shaw University President, Dr. Paulette Dillard, introduced members of Shaw’s Executive Leadership, and explained the role each one played in a student’s experience at Shaw. She also thanked the students for considering Shaw University, and encouraged them all to decide in favor of “the best choice for them to pursue their education.”
The event had the feel of a pep rally, with appearances by Shaw’s Platinum Sound Machine marching band, cheerleaders, the Royal Court, representatives of fraternities and sororities, not to mention a rowdy “roll call” of participating high schools. Shaw University alumni, from the newly-minted to as far back as the class of 1958, came out to welcome all the prospective Shaw Bears to campus. The event also had over 1400 Facebook Live views.
Shaw received over 140 applications last week alone. The university’s enrollment management team plans to repeat the enlarged format for High School Day this fall, and anticipate the next event will see even greater attendance.
From San Bernadino to Raleigh
Raven Smith, a senior at Rialto High School in San Bernadino, CA, arrived in Raleigh the night before High School Day at Shaw University. Smith currently plays basketball and runs track for her high school, and plans to study athletic training. She is “very interested” in attending Shaw, because of its status as an historic HBCU, and because “Mr. Wilson (Associate Director of Admissions/Recruitment for Shaw) told me about the programs Shaw offers, and it all sounded really right for me.” Smith says she is leaning heavily toward attending Shaw.
Royal Onyx dance troupe helps members see opportunity beyond high school
When Celeste Sledge, a retired Army veteran, realized that many young people in Jessup, GA, had no aspirations beyond graduating from high school, she decided to find a way to help them see higher education as an attainable goal. She formed Royal Onyx, a dance troupe that gives young people a positive and creative outlet. Sledge currently has royal Onyx touring HBCUs so they “can have the example of other young people of color who are working to achieve their dreams and goals,” Sledge said. “The group has really enjoyed being at Shaw today, and they were so pleased at crowd’s response to their performance,” Sledge said. She keeps Royal Onyx going with support from Jessup business owner, Mike Green, who donates rehearsal space and a bus for the group’s trips. For more information about Royal Onyx, contact Celeste Sledge at clelestesledge01@gmail.com.
ABOUT SHAW: Shaw University, located in North Carolina’s vibrant Downtown Raleigh, was founded in 1865 and is the first historically black institution of higher education in the Southern United States. Shaw’s mission is to advance knowledge, facilitate student learning and achievement, enhance the spiritual and ethical values of its students, and transform a diverse community of learners into future global leaders. Learn more at www.shawu.edu.