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School: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU)
Major: Business Administration&nbsp;
What are your career aspirations?
I want to be a stage manager for corporate and theater companies. Right now, I'm [studying] in business administration. I&rsquo;m trying to shadow a couple of different people that do events for Google and Apple as well as try to take some courses on campus when it comes to stage management.
How do you feel your education and experience so far have prepared you for your career path?
SBI School of Business and Industry at FAMU &mdash; they've given me an abundance of experiences and opportunities as a freshman coming in. I've been able to talk to CFOs, CEOs [and] vice presidents of Home Depot, Amazon, Citi. That's giving me the confidence to see people that look like me doing things in the corporate world. It's also giving me the chance to work on my speaking.
How do you plan to use your education and skills to get back to your community and uplift others in your field, particularly as an HBCU member?
I went to a performing arts school in Atlanta, a very small school. We had maybe a total of 400 students. I had a graduating class of 60. There was a big LGBTQ+ community and probably like 60/40 when it came to African Americans and Caucasian people at the school. I didn't have enough resources to even know about HBCUs because we're an art school. So, I&rsquo;d love to be able to give back to my school, teach them about HBCUs and that you don't have to go to school for your passion &mdash; or you can go to school for your passion and still do something else.

FAMU

Tyosha Sheppard-HBCU

School: Morgan State University
Major: Business Accounting and Finance
What are your long-term career aspirations and how do you plan to achieve them?
I want to get into multimedia production. But my real goal is to just be able to retire my family. I wanted to be able to dedicate my life to making them just relax. Nothing I ever do is really for me. It's always for other people. With the multimedia production company, I want to get into music, film documentaries and a marketing agency as well. That way I can bring on other talent for people that need that access and those resources and those opportunities.
So just getting as many internships as I can, getting as many hands-on experiences as I can, because a lot of these skills with production are more trade skills.
How does the business major factor in with your plans?
Cash flow is king. You have got to know where your money is going, know how you&rsquo;re getting it and know how to spend it. My brother inspired me to do that because he has a dual degree in accounting and finance.
How would you use your education and skills to give back to your community and uplift others, especially those coming from an HBCU?
I do racial equity, diversity, inclusion and community engagement projects already but right now I&rsquo;m mainly focusing on community engagement. A lot of times, just being ethnic, we choose to go either the athletic or entertainment route. Instead of being a consumer, I want to show people how to be more of a producer. I want to show them that there is a different route they can take. I was the only person out of my senior class on the basketball team that didn&rsquo;t go to school to play ball. I went on academic scholarships. I don't look down on my friends that still play ball but I still try to have those engaging conversations to tease their mind and be devil's advocate.
Like what are you going to do after these four years? Do you have a plan B if you get hurt?
Because the schools still want to win that championship. And if you're not able to play, they're going to recruit another person.

Morgan State University

Nia Heaston-HBCU

School: Howard University
Major: Sociology &amp; African American Studies /&nbsp;Minor: TV &amp; film
What are your career aspirations?
I aspire to be a drama therapist, an art curator and philanthropist. I also want to have my own non-profit, serving at-risk youth using dramatic therapeutic techniques. I'm also an actress, so I want to continue with my acting and just tell stories that aren't told, especially in the Black community. I intend to serve the Black diaspora. I plan to do production, and create films and documentaries to tell those stories. I'll get my Bachelors in Sociology. I was thinking about getting my master's at NYU in drama therapy and then an LLC for my non-profit and my businesses.
What is drama therapy?
Let's say you're depressed, or you have anxiety, I would give you a script, a monologue or something that relates to your character and to your personal story. I&rsquo;ll ask you to dissect how this connects to your life? How do you feel? Then we will use this as a guideline for the character and apply it in your own life. This is meant to be in a group setting, because you&rsquo;re working with other people and creating a sense of camaraderie. I&rsquo;m serving at-risk youth specifically and that is what they&rsquo;re missing.
How do you see your career aspirations playing out long term?
I really aspire to be a philanthropist. Every little thing I put out there create, I want it to have a ripple effect on future generations.
What&rsquo;s the best piece of advice you&rsquo;ve ever received and how have you applied it to your life so far?
Growing up in our household, we had Finnie Saturday movie nights &mdash; we would watch a documentary or a regular film. I remember one documentary &mdash; it was about the Black Panthers. Huey P. Newton always said, &ldquo;The revolution is in the hands of the young. The young always inherits the revolution.&rdquo; It was just put out there but I feel like that&rsquo;s the best piece of advice &ndash; it guides my life.

Howard University

Huntah Anarkelda Finnie-HBCU

School: Virginia State University
Major: Computer Science&nbsp;
What are your long-term career aspirations and how do you plan to achieve them?
My long-term aspiration is to set up a chain link company that [provides] services [for] transportation, real estate and agriculture. So, after getting my degree, I would like to get a job in an actual workspace, to know what it takes to manage a company and the required skills needed to run a company. After that, I [will] have gotten funds to start up my own establishment to render services in transportation, real estate investments and agriculture.
Why agriculture, real estate and transportation?
The major reason I want to get into these is because these investments, no matter how far technology may go, they will still be needed and there will still be cash flow. People will always need housing. Housing is something artificial intelligence, technological advancement can&rsquo;t replace.
What huge steps have you taken to financially prepare for your future?
I&rsquo;m a bit independent. After high school, I came to the United States. That was fall of 2022. I got an almost fully-funded scholarship, like a 90/95% scholarship, so what I pay every semester, it&rsquo;s not that much. I have a campus job; I&rsquo;m doing work study so I&rsquo;m learning from there and making investments. Right now, I invest my money into cryptocurrency and have a savings account where I keep money. So, by the time I am done with college, I'll have enough money to settle down, get a job and know how to plan.
In what ways do you feel the HBCU career incubator program has helped you develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the future?
The incubator program has enlightened me on how the professional workspace can be. CFO Mark Mason commented about how a good leader should be &mdash; it&rsquo;s not about [being] the smartest person in the room. You have to humble yourself and carry your team along. Then in terms of growing relationships, networking, I&rsquo;m also learned networking and great relationships are a good investment. We invest in money, we invest in assets, we can invest in people. That is human investment. Some of the other things I&rsquo;ve learned from this incubator program: financial literacy, stress management, how to pull your money into different assets, as well as having different forms of income and passive incomes.&nbsp;

Virginia State University

Lucius Nwakamma-HBCU

School: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Major: Supply Chain Management
What are your long-term career aspirations and how do you plan to achieve them?
My long-term career aspiration is to be the head of a global supply chain for a Fortune 500 company. I plan to achieve this by first graduating from North Carolina A&amp;T and then get my MBA. I start off, of course, as entry-level supply chain manager, working my way up and differentiating myself through a range of opportunities in the company and hopefully climb the ranks to become a top executive in supply chain.
How did you get interested in supply chains?
It started off in the pandemic. My mom is a pharmacist and they had shortages on masks and pharmaceutical equipment. It made me reflect on what I really wanted to do, how I can make an impact in the lives of others without being in the medical field.
In what ways do you feel the HBCU Incubator program has helped you develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in your career?
CFO Mark Mason talked about how differentiating yourself from others &mdash; that creates your value. When I go back on campus and when I go into my job, I want to embark on opportunities that other people may not look towards to set myself apart. The presentation we just had about financial literacy &mdash; being able to save and invest is a skill that I&rsquo;m going to use.
Tell us about a memory that stands out to you?
My favorite thing about being at an HBCU is the pride. Both my parents went to HBCUs, so I always went to homecomings and I always [got to] see Black excellence. Being at North Carolina A&amp;T, everyone always talks about the Aggie Pride. And that&rsquo;s something that you truly embody as a student there. One memory that stands out for me is crossing the Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Joining this fraternity has been big for me. I&rsquo;m forced to meet others, network with others, and engage with the community.

North Carolina A&T

Bryce Farebee-HBCU

HBCU Career Incubator Program

<h3>Forging futures: HBCU Career Incubator Program</h3>
Citi Foundation proudly supports students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund&rsquo;s HBCU Career Incubator Program. First launched in 2021, the collaboration provides students with professional development programming, college and career coaching and access to financial capability workshops.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Funded by the Citi Foundation, the initiative provides

For the second year in a row, students from the HBCU Incubator Program attended a three-day immersive summit at Citi&rsquo;s headquarters. Students participated in professional development programming, networking events and financial education workshops.

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Get to know the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) participants

Citi and the Citi Foundation’s Support of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs)

Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders 

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HBCU Career Incubator Program

Forging futures: HBCU Career Incubator Program

Funded by the Citi Foundation, the initiative provides

1600+

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Get to know the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) participants

Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders