2021 NYUL College & Career Fair Report

Jalynn Brooks-Perkins walked into the Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park on Saturday, November 13th prepared for the next chapter of her life. She had uploaded her transcripts, completed her applications and was ready to be accepted into an HBCU that day. 

She was not disappointed as she was accepted to Allen University with a $20,000 scholarship per semester and her dream of attending a college became a reality. 

Jalynn joins the thousands of students whose lives have been transformed through the 34 years of our College Fair.  Although the pandemic forced us to change our programming, we remained committed to bringing the HBCU experience to our community. 

Jalynn’s story is an example of the generational impact of the Urban League.  Please see the "It Can't Wait" video in the newsletter to see how Jalynn's father (Victor Perkins) was impacted by the New York Urban League.

On Saturday, November 13, 2021 from 11:00am to 3:30pm, we hosted the College and Career Fair.  This year’s fair offered students access to HBCU, as well as local CUNY/SUNY admissions representatives, alumni, and staff, along with college and scholarship resources from partner organizations.   

Admissions or Alumni representatives from Notable HBCU schools participating included: Morgan State, Winston Salem, Lincoln University, Hampton University, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, South Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, Delaware State University, Allen University, Johnson C Smith University, Florida A&M, Howard University and Spelman College.  The fair offered institutions such as Pace University, SUNY Oswego, Borough of Manhattan Community College and Louisiana State University to attend and engage with students about their admissions requirements.  

The Fair provided an opportunity for corporate partners (ie. AvalonBay Communities, Audacy, Fidelis Care, National Grid) to engage with attendees about  internship and employment opportunities. We also invited community partners such as Girl Be Heard, Metro New York National Black MBA, Columbia University's - Community Speaks, The HORT, The Knowledge House, BronxWorks-CAFE Program, Penda Aiken Inc, United States Coast Guard and the HBCU-HUB to share information and resources available. 

Julius J.U Jones was the host and provided motivational remarks and kept the crowd upbeat and engaged, while HOT97 and WBLS provided music and positive vibes throughout the day.

The fair also allowed corporate partners to connect with the New York Urban League by serving as volunteers for the fair. This included assisting with set up and managing stations (ie, registration, workshop facilitator, panelist, etc) during the event. 

The fair concluded with an authentic HBCU Experience (hosted by the New York Urban League Young Professionals) which included a panel composed of current students and alumni students as well as performances from the Divine Nine organizations and a tap dance performance by Kartier Conway.