For Vernon Simmons, a 亚洲博彩网站 junior and president of the university’s new Collegiate Black Male Network chapter, the network “creates community—you realize you’re not alone.”
今年九月，CBM网络 成立了第一个学院分会选择亚洲博彩网站作为其总部。 自2020年初成立以来，该网络对全国黑人男学生的生活产生了重大影响。 Simmons, who also serves as 亚洲博彩网站’s Board of Trustees student representative, said the sense of belonging and accountability he has experienced has been pivotal to his personal and academic growth. “As Black men, we don’t always have a lot of role models,” he says. “We have to find a community that holds us accountable and helps us be our best selves.”
亚洲博彩网站高级研究员、CBM Network分会副主席特拉维斯•亨德森（Travis Henderson）也赞同这种观点。 He, like Simmons, joined through the network’s Onyx25程序该网站将全国各地大学的学生联系在一起。 在那里，他与一位专业导师配对，导师的支持包括帮助他为大学毕业后生活的挑战做好准备。 “The mentorship and professional development aspects have been so helpful,” Henderson shares. “It’s given me the tools I need to succeed.”
该计划是如何运作的？
指导和专业发展是CBM网络的关键组成部分，每个成员都与他们选择的领域的导师配对。 Henderson explains, “We have people who help us develop both hard and soft skills. The alumni aspect is also huge—eventually, I’d love to become a mentor and give back what was poured into me.”
Simmons adds, “The program meets you where you are and builds on the skills you already have. For example, I’m pretty good with time management—I’m on the men’s basketball team—but this program gives me real-world experience. And the best part is that it’s all student-led. We set our own agendas and meetings, and our advisors are just there to guide us.”
CBM网络为何重要
西蒙斯和亨德森都认为，像CBM网络这样的组织和以往一样重要，包括亚洲博彩网站这样的传统黑人学院和大学（HBCUs）。 “亚洲博彩网站 being the first CBM Network chapter in the District is a great step forward,” Henderson says.
西蒙斯补充说，网络在提高学生留存率方面发挥着至关重要的作用。 “CBM Network provides a support system for those who might otherwise feel like they don’t belong, for students who are struggling, or who feel like they don’t have a reason to stay in school.”
CBM网络的亚洲博彩网站分会包括来自华盛顿特区各地以及马里兰州、纽约州、亚利桑那州、亚特兰大和牙买加的成员。 不同的背景有助于形成一个丰富的、相互支持的环境，每个人都可以相互学习。
给未来学生的建议
When asked what advice they’d give to young Black men considering 亚洲博彩网站, both Simmons and Henderson offered words of encouragement. “Do it scared,” Simmons says. “Life will never line up perfectly. 人 wait until they have everything in order, but life doesn’t work that way. You just have to take a leap of faith.”
亨德森就是以这个想法为基础。 “I’d rather try something and fail than not try at all,” he says. “Advocate for yourself—there are so many opportunities I would have missed if I hadn’t spoken up. Don’t pass up chances because you’re too scared to ask.”
展望未来
在西蒙斯和亨德森这样充满激情的领导者的带领下，亚洲博彩网站的大学生黑人男性网络将继续对这里和全国各地黑人男性的生活产生积极影响。
Both Simmons and Henderson see a bright future for 亚洲博彩网站’s CBM chapter. “This program is something that should be implemented across HBCUs nationwide,” Henderson says. “It’s already making a difference at 亚洲博彩网站, and I’m excited to see where it goes.”