A Better Chance TV...with Mz Mo!

We welcome two powerful student voices for day two of the Takisha A. Davis Scholarship Stipend essay reading and hear how they turn family, faith, and discipline into real college plans. We also share ways to support HBCU-bound scholars through voting, donations, and the upcoming South Texas HBCU Summer Send-Off. • day two format for the scholarship essay reading and why the competition feels tough • South Texas HBCU Summer Send-Off details in San Antonio and what support students need • Common Black College Application overview and why it helps students apply to multiple HBCUs • Gregorio Armand’s essay on pushing forward through hard work, creativity, and relationships • cybersecurity motivation rooted in protecting people after seeing a family hack • choosing St. Philip’s College as an HBCU option close to home and financially practical • Mariell Curb’s essay on breaking generational cycles through education and mechanical engineering • Tuskegee preparation through internships and a summer bridge program for engineering students • leaving a mark on campus through clubs, mentoring, leadership, and showing up • why each contestant believes they deserve your vote Please remember to vote, and if you have already voted or have tried to vote, the voting link is actually not active right now, but on Sunday or Monday, it will be back up. If you are interested in being a vendor or interested in supporting our scholars, use that link up to the top of the screen, or just send me a DM and I will gladly tell you how you can support. Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Scholarship season is here, and we’re kicking off the Takeisha A. Davis Annual Competition with three unforgettable voices and three very different reasons for choosing an HBCU. What starts with quick announcements about our HBCU summer send-off celebration and ways to support college-bound students turns into something deeper: a front-row seat to how young scholars think about belonging, purpose, and the future they’re determined to build.First, we meet a Chicago student heading to Tuskegee University who reads an essay about breaking generational cycles through education. She connects her lived experience to mentorship, explains why physical therapy is her path, and makes a clear case for accessible healthcare and support that actually reaches underserved communities. Then we welcome two more round-two contestants Vivian and Alexandria, who share what pulled them toward an HBCU, from family legacy and an HBCU tour to a counselor’s advice about finally getting four years of true belonging.The essays and follow-up questions take us into identity, culture, and resilience. Vivian describes being Nigerian and Black American as a “remix,” refusing to stay stagnant while learning to hold both worlds with pride. Alexandria shares how a family medical crisis pushed her to grow up fast, how scuba diving helped her face fear with knowledge, and why she’s aiming for cardiology at Howard University. Along the way, we also highlight tools like the Common Black College Application and community support options for students and families.If you care about HBCU culture, Black student success, scholarship opportunities, STEM pathways, and real stories from future healthcare leaders, press play. Subscribe, share with someone who needs encouragement, and leave a review then tell us which essay you’re voting for.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

You can feel it when a city decides to stop “talking about” Black excellence and actually programs it. We’re counting down to HBCU weekend in San Antonio, and we’re doing things differently this year with a real run-of-show that centers culture, family, and students not just a room full of tables. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to make an HBCU celebration feel meaningful, organized, and alive, this conversation gives you the behind-the-scenes.We’re joined by powerhouse performer and creative leader Devon Matthews, who breaks down her work as founder and artistic director of Art Noir Productions, an all-Black performing arts organization built to fix a representation gap across dance, theater, spoken word, and more. She shares why training and stage opportunities matter, how young people grow when the standard is high, and why she’s bringing a tribute that honors Black culture and HBCU pride. We also welcome Anthony Harris Brown back as we talk program upgrades, why youth performers belong on an education-centered weekend, and how quickly people underestimate Black kids until the talent hits the mic.Then the energy shifts to pure community fun with Rod Eckles and the fashion talk, plus a reminder that tickets are moving and the door price jumps if you wait. We also shout out honorees and resources that support college-bound students, including tools like the Common Black College App and HBCU trivia that keeps the history close.Listen, share this with someone coming to the weekend, and then subscribe and leave a review so more people find the show. What part of an HBCU weekend matters most to you: the awards, the performances, the networking, or the student spotlight?Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Graduation season brings a lot of applause, but I want to talk about what happens after the caps come off. I share a message I originally delivered as a school speech, built around one idea that changed how I see education, success, and purpose: graduation is only a concept, and in real life we graduate every single day. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re enough, worried your dreams are too big for your circumstances, or felt behind because of someone else’s timeline, this conversation is for you.I get personal about not starting at the top, making mistakes, and learning the kind of lessons no classroom can teach. We unpack what it really means to “shrink yourself” and why I keep repeating this line: do not dim your light so others can shine. We talk self-worth, confidence, and how social media comparison can steal joy, especially for students and young professionals trying to figure out who they are. You’ll also hear a clear reminder that titles, awards, and recognition can be nice, but they’re not your value.Then we zoom out to community and opportunity, with a spotlight on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and why they matter for culture, connection, mentorship, and lifelong belonging. We share community voices connected to the HBCU Community Icon Awards and the bigger mission of supporting student scholars, connecting alumni with students, and building real networks that pay off later. If you care about education, mentorship, scholarships, and helping the next generation lead without apology, press play and stay with us.Subscribe for more, share this with someone who needs the reminder, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What’s one way you’re ready to stop shrinking and show up fully?Send us Fan MailSupport the show

A birthday show can be more than candles and dinner plans. I’m celebrating the whole month, but I’m also turning that celebration into support for A Better Chance for Youth Incorporated because it’s crunch time and our students need us. If you’ve ever wanted a practical way to invest in youth mentoring, college access, and real outcomes for college-bound seniors, this conversation lays out exactly how we’re doing it and how you can plug in.I walk through our upcoming HBCU Community Icon Awards and People’s Choice Awards, including why ticket sales and business sponsorships matter and how the event helps fund our South Texas HBCU summer send-off. The goal is simple: celebrate excellence while making sure more young people can step onto the campus of a historically Black college or university with confidence, community support, and a network behind them. I also share a quick tip for saving money on tickets: the newsletter is where the promo code lives.Along the way, we spotlight helpful HBCU resources like the Common Black College Application, which lets students apply to 50+ HBCUs at once for a low cost, plus a fun educational option with an HBCU trivia game. Then we shift into the heart of the celebration with a tribute montage full of love, laughter, and reminders that mentorship is built over years, not moments.If you believe in lifting students and strengthening HBCU pathways, listen, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the mission. What’s one way you’ve seen community support change a young person’s future?Send us Fan MailSupport the show

You can feel HBCU pride when it’s real and Alfonso Scott brings the real. After a quick run of community updates and award-season reminders, we sit down with Alfonso to trace his path from Dayton, Ohio to Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama, including the culture shock that nearly sent him back home. What changed was the thing HBCUs do better than almost anywhere: community. He talks candidly about finding his people, growing through campus life, and carrying that foundation into adulthood. Then we dig into his decade-long passion project, “We’ve Got Something to Talk About,” built from hundreds of interviews with HBCU alumni across generations, schools, and cities. It’s not a single-campus story, it’s a living collage of Historically Black Colleges and Universities told by the people who lived it. If you care about HBCU advocacy, college choice, student success, or simply preserving Black education history, these testimonials explain why HBCU alumni stay so loyal and so loud. We also talk about his HBCU commemorative calendar that pairs images with quotes from the book, plus practical resources for families navigating application season, including the Common Black College Application. Listen for the through-line: when we share our stories, we widen the path for the next student. Subscribe, share this with an HBCU-bound scholar or proud alum, and leave a quick review telling us what your HBCU story says about you.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

We map the moments when the road gets heavy and the answer is not more toughness, but more brotherhood. We break down a simple way to build real support through mentors, peers, and the people we pour into, then challenge ourselves to connect on purpose. • redefining brotherhood as accountability and vulnerability • why healing happens in community not isolation • the Paul Barnabas Timothy model for mentorship and growth • lessons from my father and mentors that shaped my life and health • the role of peers who check you and stay close in hard seasons • pouring into the next generation and letting roles evolve • the loneliness crisis for men and what it costs families • three words to live by: connect reflect support If you don't just want to be part of the moment and you want to be part of the movement, join me later on today. I'll be doing a breakout session in one of the sessions in one of the rooms around 11:30.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

You can feel when something is built for the long haul, not for a headline. That’s the energy behind my conversation with Quincy and Mario, two former HBCU athletes who turn a years-long friendship into a community mission: bringing the Urban League’s work to San Antonio and creating the HBCU Live Experience to open doors for students, families, and student-athletes.We get personal about the HBCU foundation that shaped our confidence, our leadership, and our ability to navigate bigger spaces later in life. Then we get specific about what the Urban League movement stands for and how it operates, from education and youth development to workforce development, justice and advocacy, health and wellness, and housing and community development. The goal is simple and serious: raise resources, invest them back into the community, and build relationships that make the work hard to undo.Mario breaks down the HBCU Live Experience model from a student-athlete perspective, with special focus on NAIA HBCUs and the talent that deserves more exposure. We also talk through the college and career fair, why access and exposure change outcomes, and how community support turns an event into a pipeline.Here are the key dates shared: Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. at the Alamo Communication Center for the HBCU college fair and career fair, then Saturday, April 18 at 3 p.m. at the same venue for the women’s all-star game followed by a performance and the all-star game. Listen, share this with a parent, student, coach, or employer, then subscribe and leave a review. What would you want to see your city build for young people next?Send us Fan MailSupport the show

The sports dream is loud, but the life plan is usually quiet, until the last buzzer makes it impossible to ignore. We sit down with Chelsea McKee, founder of the nonprofit Life Beyond The Game and a proud Savannah State University graduate, to talk about what student athletes really need to thrive in school, in sports, and long after the season ends. Chelsea breaks down the gaps she saw firsthand as a coach: athletes who do not know their GPA, families unsure about NCAA Clearinghouse steps, and the pressure that builds when parents and kids treat sports like the only option. We get honest about the numbers behind the pipeline, why the 99% deserve just as much attention as the 1%, and how preparation in financial literacy, mental health, NIL awareness, workforce development, and sports career pathways can change outcomes across entire communities. We also lean into HBCU culture as a force for good, not just nostalgia. Chelsea shares the “For The Culture” video initiative designed to recognize every HBCU, not only the most talked-about schools, and explains a micro scholarship effort powered by partnerships with HBCU Heroes and Uncle Nearest. If you love Historically Black Colleges and Universities, student success, and building a stronger support system for the next generation, this conversation is your lane. Subscribe, share this with an athlete or parent who needs it, and leave a review telling us: what should every student athlete learn before senior year?Send us Fan MailSupport the show

The show opens with a powerful spoken-word piece that asks what history sounds like—and then we test the answer against today’s reality. We celebrate milestones like President Obama’s election and Vice President Harris’s trailblazing role, but we don’t stop there. We zoom in on where the real levers live: city councils, school boards, judges, and statehouses that quietly shape voting access, curriculum, and opportunity. From San Antonio’s march legacy to current school closures and curriculum fights, we connect policy to lived experience and ask whether we’re overcoming—or still rising.We talk unity without the buzzwords. For us, it looks like roles that lock together: parents advocating in board rooms, educators protecting truth in classrooms, elders mentoring, and young organizers leading with sharp digital skills. We share how HBCU culture, local history tours, and real-life immersion rebuild pride and counter erasure. You’ll hear stories of kids meeting Tuskegee Airmen, students walking out to oppose injustice, and families choosing leadership over conformity. Culture isn’t a side dish; it’s the strategy.We also make a grounded case for reading as resistance. Go past the algorithm and into archives: Douglass, Bethune, Height, Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and local giants like Myra Davis Hemings. The blueprints for coalition-building and policy wins are there. Literacy sharpens advocacy, widens language, and keeps us steady when the room gets hot. Still rising means showing up early, not after the vote; investing in youth programs; directing dollars to Black businesses; teaching financial literacy at home; and celebrating scholars as loudly as we mourn losses.If this conversation moved you, tap follow, share it with a friend, and leave a review with one action you’ll take this week to help us keep rising. Your voice and your vote matter—let’s make them count.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

The heartbeat of this conversation is simple and urgent: history only lives if we fund it, mentor it, and show up for it. We open with real wins—spotlighting standout seniors, celebrating community support, and sharing how to join us for HBCU Awards Weekend—then step into a larger story about legacy, courage, and the power of education to rewrite futures.We trace a line from early pioneers of scholarship to today’s HBCU students building new ground under their feet. Lucy Stanton, Daniel A. Payne, and the first Black women to earn doctorates remind us that learning has long been a form of resistance. Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, and W. E. B. Du Bois show how literacy, dignity, truth-telling, and higher education become activism in motion. Along the way, we highlight innovators like Dr. Charles Drew, Katherine Johnson, Elijah McCoy, and Henrietta Lacks—proof that Black history is not just survival; it is genius, innovation, and excellence under pressure.From there, we talk about why HBCUs remain engines of empowerment. These institutions do more than award degrees—they cultivate confidence, protect potential, and prepare leaders who change communities. We break down how scholarships and mentorships relieve stress, restore focus, and convert raw potential into progress that alters family trees. Then we get practical: learn beyond the “famous five,” mentor with intention, invest in scholarships, and teach young people to advocate with respect. A raised fist becomes our metaphor for layered strength—discipline, education, preparation, and community—because a single beat can be missed, but a chorus of beats cannot be ignored.Ready to turn admiration into action? Join us for HBCU Awards Weekend, support a scholar, and share this episode with someone who shaped your path. Subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us: which unsung figure will you champion next?Send us Fan MailSupport the show

The energy is real and the mission is urgent: celebrate outstanding students and give them the lift they deserve. We share a rapid-fire slate of updates you can act on today, from a free virtual Getting Through College workshop to early tickets for the HBCU Community and People’s Choice Awards. With a $23,000 goal fueling scholarships and programs, every table purchase, share, and shoutout turns into tangible support for young people building their futures.We break down what matters most this season. The summer send-off is open for scholars, vendors, and organizations—with fees that are tax-deductible through our 501(c)(3) status—plus a special drawing for two gala tickets for the first 25 to register. We spotlight the Common Black College Application so students can apply to 50+ HBCUs with one form and a low fee, lowering barriers and expanding choice. We put a call out for three male authors and other educators to join our new book project, capturing the real stories and insights shaping classrooms right now.Monique also opens up about finding peace through music—writing and arranging new tracks like Chosen and Ex-Best Friend—as a way to process a tough year while staying anchored to service. That creative honesty sits alongside scholar shoutouts, newsletter leaderboard updates, and clear timelines like the Takisha Davis Scholarship deadline on the 30th of next month. Join the workshop from wherever you are, buy tickets before capacity is reached, and keep the momentum visible by sharing the newsletter and tagging a student who needs this boost. If this mission moves you, subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who believes in HBCUs and the power of community. Your support helps a student feel seen today.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Start with a simple challenge: name a Black history figure who isn’t on your usual list. From there, we open the door to a bigger story—how community, culture, and purpose shape a student’s path to college and a career that can save lives. We spotlight a senior with a 3.8 GPA who’s HBCU-bound, narrowing choices to three schools and setting her heart on Houston Tillotson University. She wants to become a certified nurse midwife, and she’s clear about why: Black mothers deserve to be heard, respected, and protected in the moments that matter most.We talk through the real factors behind her decision—cost, distance, family support, and belonging—and why an HBCU environment offers the mentorship and cultural affirmation that can carry a student from first-year nerves to confident clinical practice. Her purpose is personal, sparked by a family health scare that illuminated the gaps too many women face. She’s ready to meet those gaps with evidence-based care and a voice that advocates early and often. Along the way, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Black History Month and share a listener challenge to go beyond the “famous five,” lifting up icons like Sam Cooke and the countless builders whose names don’t always make the headlines.Community power drives this episode. We highlight active campaigns—People’s Choice voting, Icons fundraising that splits proceeds between A Better Chance For Youth Futures and selected colleges, and scholarship drives that open doors for students who are doing the work. Our senior is already mobilizing her network with posters and shares, and we invite alumni—especially from Houston Tillotson—to step in with support, mentorship, and resources. If you care about education access, maternal health, and the future of equitable care, this is your moment to help a worthy scholar cross the next bridge.Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who loves HBCUs or healthcare, and leave a review to boost our mission. Your vote and your gift can turn one student’s plan into community impact.Send us Fan MailSupport the show