My HBCU Story
Tyra Saverson
My HBCU story began when life did, in a small farming community we call Hopewell in Northeast Mississippi. I had a multitude of family members who attended HBCUs including Jackson State, Tennessee State, Rust College and others. Watching them flourish in their careers and be of service to their communities was the foundation upon which I built my academic pursuits. We moved to Houston, TX when I was in early elementary and we lived a stone’s throw away from Texas Southern University.
This only furthered my interest in HBCUs as I could hear the band practicing nightly and we utilized the campus’ proximity to our home for all the resources we could find therein. The school was the heart of the neighborhood, and it was an amazing experience to be in community with so many talented young Black people. Much of the chosen family we found in Houston attended TSU or Prairie View, and they were constant examples of the brilliance produced by HBCUs.
When I reached my senior year of high school, I held true to what I had always known: I wanted the HBCU experience for myself. After many applications and acceptances, my final decision was between FAMU or Howard. Both of these institutions offered outstanding scholarship packages, which guaranteed my cost of attendance would be minimal to none. Ultimately, I decided to attend The Mecca. Deep down, I had known that Howard University was where I was meant to be from the moment, I first stepped onto campus during a spring break visit two years prior. Following that instinct would turn out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Now I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this decision was almost swayed by the fact that my final high school GPA qualified me for even more scholarship than I was originally offered by FAMU. But in true HBCU fashion, FAMU’s financial aid office did not respond with an updated financial aid package until early August at which point we were just days away from Freshman Move-In Day and I’d already worn out the lettering on my very first HU shirt from wearing it all summer. I mention this to pick fun yes, but also to highlight how under-resourced our schools often are, doing their very best but often operating with less than they need to be efficient. And while that should not be the case, that is our truth for now and that is why community support and funds like this one are so vital to the success of HBCUs and their students.
My time at Howard was life changing. I found community, expanded my thinking, and made lifelong friends. Like so many other HBCU graduates, I was blessed to have professors who truly saw my potential and went out of their way to ensure that I reached it. One example that still sticks with me came in the fall of my senior year. I was having a particularly hard time, the mix of emotions that came with a looming graduation were weighing on me quite heavily. I had thankfully already secured offers for my first post-graduate job, but I was uncertain about my career path and that uncertainty started to make me doubt my own abilities. Had I really worked so hard for so long, just to realize I was working towards the wrong goals? And if so, how could I trust myself or my work? I grappled with this as I did what every college senior does: try to find the motivation to keep going to class. But there was one class I never missed (mom if you’re reading this, I mean one class I never considered missing because I totally didn’t miss any classes at all...) and that was Dr. Bryant’s class. Dr. Bryant was engaging, witty, and absolutely brilliant. She was the professor whose class you wanted to be in no matter what they were teaching. So that semester when Dr. Bryant asked me to lead a team for the HBCU Battle of the Brains, it was the highest honor that she’d thought of me. When I asked why I would be the lead she said, “There are a lot of pieces to this competition. Your teammates all have strengths and specialties that will make sure each component is successful, but that won’t mean anything if no one can see the big picture, keep the whole thing on track, and bring all the pieces together. Only you can do that.” To have someone I admire assure me of my ability and my necessity was everything to me. I’m not sure how (or if) she knew what I needed at that moment, but I am forever grateful. There were so many instances like this when I doubted myself or sold myself short, and whether knowingly or unknowingly, at every turn there was someone on that campus who cared enough to push me further. That is what makes HBCUs special. I showed up to campus as a smart but shy kid who was very unsure of myself and what I could give the world, but I left there with the confidence of someone who knows they are representing a lineage of greatness.
In May of 2019 I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Supply Chain Management from Howard University to the cheers of my family and to many tears from my mother and grandmother. I owe so much of who I am and who I want to become to the example set on that farm in Mississippi. The community that I was born into is one of love, fellowship, and stewardship. As we continue to grow the endowment of The Deanes Pencil Fund so will the expansion of possibility for so many students who are mired in student loan debt. I am so proud to be part of a family that values education so deeply and so proud to be an HBCU graduate. Please support our work and our efforts with your generous contributions.
Will you help us by registering for the 2023 5K for scholarships? We are so thankful to you in advance!
Tyra Alise Saverson
Howard University ‘19
Proud Granddaughter of Barbara Deanes -Saverson
Proud Niece of Elton and Ruby Deanes
