20 students participating with the Center for Minority Excellence were granted the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. this June. Over the four-day trip, students were invited to visit Howard University and explore active engagement opportunities to continue their educational pursuits. 
In conjunction with the scheduled tour of Howard University, students were able to visit nationally recognized sites and museums which included: Black Lives Matter Plaza, the White House, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the Washington Monument, the Reflection Pool, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
One goal of the Predominately Black Institutional Program grant is to increase the number of African American students who graduate and/or transfer to a 4-year institution, which is also in alignment with LCTCS transfer goal. Another goal of the grant is to increase exposure of academic and career success.
Research shows that African American students engaging in outside of the classroom learning increase their ability to overcome challenges, despite academic under preparedness and economic status. Exploring the new environments outside of Lafayette provided the Center for Minority Excellence students exposure to educational opportunities at Howard University, connected them to campus partners who served as chaperones (academic integration), and interacted with peers from multiple campuses (social integration) – all which served as positive impacts in their pursuit of college completion.
Click here to read more about the Center for Minority Excellence (CME).