By Ryan Russell, an 11th grader at P-Tech, and Elijah Vigo, an 11th grader at Norwalk High School
Excitement filled the air as we arrived at Virginia State University (VSU), where our chaperones, Ms. Iman Laborde Mobley and Mr. Tremain Gilmore, were once students.
Ms. Iman discovered VSU on the Carver Spring College tour years ago. Her joy was contagious, and we were eager to capture some of that joy.
We watched Ms. Novelette greet and embrace Carver alumnae Jasmine Brown, who was also introduced to VSU on a college tour. We were now in the midst of three former VSU students who had fond memories and wanted us to know firsthand the impact VSU had on their current success.
We were guided to the welcome center, and Ms. Asia and Mr. Jared greeted us and shared a presentation on the university. We were introduced to our tour guide, Aminah, but before we headed on the tour, Ms. Novelette asked Ms. Iman and Ms. Jasmine to share their thoughts with us.
Ms. Jasmine encouraged us to follow our dreams and be resilient. She graduated from VSU and earned two master’s degrees in education and social work. She returned to Virginia a few years ago and is the proud owner of an 8-bed transitional program for clients struggling with mental illness. She joined us for the entire tour, and we are grateful she took the time to spend with us.
Ms. Iman shared that her college experience was nothing short of amazing. She was accepted to many universities, but Virginia State was the school she fell in love with. VSU accepted her based on her GPA and academic track record rather than focusing on her SAT scores. She went from not knowing much about being on her own or how to be an adult to then being fully independent and heavily involved on campus. Ms. Iman credits the dedicated VSU community, including the Betterment of Brothers and Sisters Organization. This mentoring organization helped her as a freshman, and she later led it as President and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in shaping and molding her into a well-rounded adult. She is a Future Readiness Coordinator for The Carver, working to guide current Carver students in leading successful lives.
VSU is a Historically Black College/University founded in 1882 and has approximately 4,000 students enrolled. Currently, it is a test-optional school and has an open campus. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:15. Virginia State University is a school that is willing to allow the average student to succeed in school and life. VSU accepts students with a 2.5 GPA and above and has many tutors around the campus to support its student body. They are well-known for their sports broadcasting and journalism program and for owning a radio station. The radio station supports the sports broadcasts and journalism programs.
As a Division 11 school with excellent sports programs and a competitive football team, the students have much to cheer for during the year. Modernizing the old buildings and adding new ones give us a sense of a vibrant future for the VSU community.
We were surprised to be greeted by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sisters and the Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers, who gave us step presentations. Ms. Iman arranged this.
We are so grateful to Ms. Iman, Mr. Tremain, and Ms. Jasmine for sharing their VSU experience. Virginia State University is a great college to learn, grow, meet new people, and have a great college experience.
