By Jason Giorlando and Amir Andre, 11th graders at Brien McMahon High School

After an exciting morning at Virginia State University, we traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to tour Virginia Union University (VUU).

We learned the day before our visit that Richard “Ricky” Fuller, a Carver alum and Virginia Union alumnus, had just passed away. He was a coach for Ms. Shannon Bates, one of our chaperones on this year’s college tour. Ricky’s father, the late Richard Fuller Sr., former executive director of Carver, was also an alumnus of VUU. Former Carver student and CT State Representative representing Norwalk, Kadeem Roberts, is also an alumnus.

When we arrived on the campus, we had a surprise visit from Carver alumnae Arianna Prezzie. Arianna was introduced to VUU while on a Carver college tour years ago. She lives and works as a teacher in Virginia and is pursuing a master’s degree at VUU. Arianna joined our group as we learned more about VUU.

VUU is a private Historically Black Baptist University (HBCU) established in 1865 to provide education to newly freed slaves of the South. The campus is home to more than 2000 undergraduate students from various backgrounds. There is a 20:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and 52% of students are female and 48% male. The average class size is 25 students, and students can access 50+ clubs and organizations.

Virginia Union University offers degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or Bachelor of Social Work. Student-athletes compete in Division 11 (Panthers) basketball, cross country, football, golf, track and field, bowling, tennis, volleyball, softball, and cheerleading. Iyanla Vanzant.

Notable alumni include (as noted above) State Rep. Kadeem Roberts, Charles Oakley, L. Douglas Wilder, Ben Wallace, and Donda West.

Virginia Union is a respected small university with a rich history and diverse community. It gives hope and opportunity to average students, who may require increased support to graduate.