Ervin A. Bryant, a junior History major from Spring, Texas, was selected as a 2017 HBCU All-Star. The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) works to promote excellence, innovation, and sustainability. Bryant is one of 62 All-Stars and the only student representing Prairie View A&M University. “I’ve had many amazing opportunities here at Prairie View,” said Bryant, “Now I’m so glad I took the initiative and applied to serve my community with the resources and connections of The White House Initiative on HBCUs.” During the one-year appointment period, students will serve as ambassadors of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities by providing outreach opportunities and communications to their fellow students about the value of education and the Initiative as a networking resource.
Bryant said he could not let this opportunity pass him by. To ensure he stood out from the other applicants, he had to call upon every formative experience and take inventory of his marketable skills. “It took quite a bit of reflecting, but it was worth it,” said Bryant. He knew his study of the Chinese language and culture with the Honors Program in Prairie View and China would give him the edge he needed.
The application was due the day Bryant departed the United States to travel with the Honors Program for their six-week study in China. “Honestly, by the time I had returned to America, I thought that I had not been selected since I had not heard anything,” said Bryant, “So, when I got the email about the interview I was ecstatic.” Once notified he had been selected as an All-Star, Bryant said he, “put on some Kirk Franklin at an unreasonable volume and did some dancing.”
Being one of 62 students chosen is what Bryant calls an extremely humbling honor. “I think this appointment is important as it allows me to institute a change on this campus that will have a lasting effect and will hopefully change the lives of generations of Panthers,” said Bryant, “Playing a role in the narrative of PVAMU, no matter how big or small, means so much to me, because I am able to reciprocate even a portion of the service this University has given me.”