At United Charter High Schools (UCHS), college readiness means more than AP courses and application essays. It means helping students see themselves on a college campus. Next week, about 50 UCHS students will do exactly that on the network’s first-ever Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Tour.
Tour Stops: Seven Campuses and a Historic Museum
From April 12–15, students from across all seven United Charter High Schools’ campuses will visit some of the nation’s most celebrated and make a special museum stop in Washington, D.C.:
- Morgan State University
- Hampton University
- Norfolk State University
- Virginia Union University
- Virginia State University
- Howard University
- Delaware State University
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture
The itinerary is designed to give students a broad view of HBCU campus life, academic culture, and community that supports students to make informed, confident decisions when it comes time to choose a college.
Six Weeks of Preparation Before They Go
In true UCHS fashion, we make sure that our students are highly prepared for their experience. Our partnership with the Community Uplift Through Perseverance, Inc. (C.U.P.) provided students with meaningful opportunities over the past few months to explore HBCU history and legacy, financial literacy, mental health awareness, and what it means to live away from home for the first time through intentional, culturally immersive workshops. As Development Manager Dr. Sanya Hudson explained, “We don’t want them to just walk into a college campus and just see dorms or classrooms. We want them to be emotionally and mentally prepared.”
Why HBCUs?
The initiative was born from a deeply personal place. CEO Dr. Curtis Palmore, a proud Morgan State University alum, was once told as a high school student that he wasn’t college material. An HBCU college tour changed his trajectory. “I want them to see themselves,” Dr. Palmore said of his students. “I want them to have a sense of belonging.”
During Black History Month, NY1’s Rocco Vertucci sat down with Dr. Palmore and Dr. Hudson to discuss the vision behind the tour and what they hope students take away from the experience. Watch the full segment below to hear directly from the leaders making this happen — and the students at the heart of it.
How the UCHS Community Made This Happen
Without the incredible UCHS community that rallied to make this possible, this tour may never have happened. To help fund the experience, UCHS launched a 21-day fundraiser, asking families, alumni, and supporters to invest money and a belief in what is possible for these scholars. Funds raised helped cover transportation, hotels, meals, the six-week college readiness workshops, and program expenses — everything needed to make the experience transformative from start to finish. Every purchase helped move a scholar one step closer to seeing themselves on a college campus.
That spirit of collective investment is what United Charter High Schools are all about.
College Access That Goes Beyond the Tour
After the tour, the work continues — with scholarship searches, continued college advising, and plans to expand the program so more UCHS students have access to the HBCU experience in years to come.
This is college readiness at United Charter High Schools: rigorous, intentional, and deeply rooted in the belief that every student belongs.
Learn more about United Charter High Schools’ postsecondary programs at unitedcharter.org.
About United Charter High Schools
United Charter High Schools is a network of seven award-winning and tuition-free charter schools serving 9th-12th grade students and families across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. We are united in our mission to close the opportunity gap by ensuring equal access to rigorous STEAM and Humanities academics and unwavering support for postsecondary readiness. Get to know us at www.unitedcharter.org and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Enrollment for the 2026-27 school year is open now.
