HBCU HEROES JOINS FORCES WITH UNC CHAPEL HILL TO HOST ‘HBCU CELEBRATION GAME CAREER FEST’ DURING UNC VS FAMU FOOTBALL WEEKEND MATCHUP

Atlanta, GA: HBCU Heroes today announced details of the 2022 HBCU Celebration Game Career Fest, set for August 26, 2022 on campus at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and available virtually as well. The career fest will be held the day before the HBCU Celebration Game between the University of North Carolina Tar Heels (UNC) and Florida A&M University Rattlers (FAMU) football teams. The matchup serves as the centerpiece amidst numerous events and activities planned around the weekend to celebrate historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

 

The career fest includes powerful panels featuring Fortune 500 companies from tech, finance, entertainment, and more. It will include interactive workshops, breakout rooms, and networking opportunities. Attendees will hear first-hand insights from entrepreneurs, celebrities, athletes, and trailblazers, detailing how they are crafting their legacies and what it takes to replicate their success.

 

HBCU Celebration Game Career Fest highlights include:

 

  • Seven HBCU presidents from across North Carolina will be speaking at the career fest.
  • The career fest is supported by Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, Delia’s Gone Film, Paul Hastings, Rocket Companies, Blackhawk Network, MAI Capital, Wasserman, Fox Soul and more.
  • Vinnie Rock, rapper from Naughty By Nature & tech entrepreneur, will host a tech talk.
  • The impact producers of Delia’s Gone, starring Emmy nominee Stephen James and Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, will host a career panel and movie screening.
  • Student participation includes moderating industry panels to segments, such as “Business on a Budget,” where HBCU modeling troupes showcase how to dress for success on a college budget.
  • HBCU sororities & fraternities will strut their stuff in stroll offs, similar to step performances.

 

“The HBCU Celebration Game Career Fest is a major point of pride for HBCU Heroes, where the mission is to empower HBCU students to compete in corporate America, big-tech, entertainment, healthcare, wellness, sports management, and entrepreneurial pathways to make significant financial strides,” said Tracey Pennywell, Co-Founder, HBCU Heroes. “We’re thrilled that companies all over the country will have a chance to find and recruit top talent and help their efforts to promote DEI at the same time.”

 

The 2022 HBCU Celebration Game Career Fest was created by HBCU Heroes in collaboration with UNC-Chapel Hill. HBCU Heroes is uniting students, recent graduates, and alumni from all 11 HBCUs across North Carolina onsite and welcoming the HBCU community nationwide to join virtually.

 

“Carolina Athletics is thrilled to partner with two great Tar Heels, George Lynch and Tracey Pennywell, to bring the HBCU Heroes career fair to our campus. This will be an exciting part of our HBCU Celebration Game events with Florida A&M University on August 26th and 27th. George and Tracey are passionate about their mission to enhance the lives and opportunities for HBCU students in many ways,” Rick Steinbacher, Senior Associate Director of Athletics.

 

This hybrid career fest will be held on Friday, August 26th, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as online via the platform Hopin.

Attendees will hear from multiple speakers including:

 

  • Heyward Damon, Jr., Board Chairman I HBCU Week Foundation, Inc.
  • Chip Johnson, VP NCAA Partnerships I Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Terri Hines, Executive Vice President, Communications, FOX Sports
  • Will Jones, Head Basketball Coach: North Carolina A&T State University
  • Deems May, (NFL veteran) Dir. of Business Dev. Sports And Entertainment I MAI Capital
  • Lindsay LaBennett, Senior Director: Inclusion, Diversity and Equity I Wasserman
  • Danita Rucks Oliver, Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion I Blackhawk Network
  • Sean Singletary, Senior VP Brand Consulting I CSM
  • Jason “J.” Carter, Co-Founder I One Venture Group
  • Michael-Bryant Hicks, EVP, General Counsel I Apria Healthcare
  • Ngozi Eze, Global Chief Information Security Officer I Levi Strauss & Company
  • George Lynch, Co-founder I HBCU Heroes I NBA Veteran
  • Brendan Haywood, NBA TV Analyst I NBA Veteran

“HBCU graduates bring a multitude of talents to America’s workplace. At a time when many employers are struggling to fill vacancies, the Career Fest provides a great opportunity for employers to explore and ultimately utilize the tremendous skill sets of our students and alumni,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D.

 

The much-anticipated HBCU president’s panel entitled, “The Day After Graduation: The Power and Impact of HBCU Talent,” aims at bridging the gap with corporate DEI efforts and the highly-skilled HBCU pipeline. HBCUs graduate over 46% of all Black women engineers and 50% of Black professionals. HBCU leadership participating includes:

 

  • Dr. Larry Robinson, President/Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU)
  • Dr. Johnson Akinleye, Chancellor/North Carolina Central University (NCCU)
  • Darrell T. Allison, Chancellor/Fayetteville State University (FSU)
  • Dr. Clarence D. Armbrister, President/Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU)
  • Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, Chancellor, Elizabeth City State University (ECSU)
  • Dr. Elwood Robinson, Chancellor/Winston Salem State University (WSSU)
  • Dr. Harold Martin, Chancellor/North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT)

A sponsored panel discussion on the film, Delia’s Gone, will take center stage featuring impact producer Bryce Cracknell and hosted by Travis P. Jackson, Founder/CEO HBCU Pride Nation (NCAT alum). Jahliel Thurman, CEO/Founder, Yard Talk 101 (Virginia State University alum) and Jamila Toussaint, J.D., Ms. Black USA 2021, will also bring insight to entertainment careers and the themes explored in the film.

 

HBCU Heroes is also teaming up with national organizations to elevate engagement, such as Rainbow Push, who will host a virtual workshop by Dr. Joseph Bryant, Jr. Exec. Dir, West Coast/Silicon Valley, on the Facebook/Meta Digital Certification Program and offer scholarships to attendees. Mid-Atlantic Region of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. is teaming up to encourage their students to attend.

 

To sponsor, contact Tracey Pennywell at 818.749.0198 or traceypennywell@hbcuheroes.org.

For more information about the 2022 HBCU Celebration Game Career Fest and to register for free,

visit https://hopin.com/events/hbcu-celebration-career-fest-unc-v-famu/registration.

 

About HBCU Heroes: HBCU Heroes sits at the forefront of the new virtual nexus of culture, community, commerce, career, and campus life for the HBCU universe. As the premier digital leader in the space, HBCU Heroes hosts fundraisers, career fests, and more to provide access & opportunities to HBCUers to compete across industries to secure the bag and level the playing field.

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