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High School Senior Victoria Mathieu Gets Accepted Into 5 Ivy League Schools

High School senior Victoria Mathieu has many reasons to celebrate! The Bensalem High School student shared a video on TikTok of her seated beside her family while receiving a status update on her college applications. She applied to schools like Harvard University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. To her surprise, she was admitted into five of them, in which the acceptance rates toggle between 3% and 9%, according to 6abc Philadelphia. Mathieu was waitlisted at Harvard and Dartmouth. “I did not expect to get into really into any of the schools at all. Once I saw my acceptances and everything, it was just like crazy, insane. I was just thanking God,” she expressed, per the outlet. @tori.math for all my black queens who think they aren’t capable of ivy league schools, let me be the one to tell you WE CAN DO IT!! don’t let people’s prejudices of black women dictate how far you reach for...

May 9, 2025

Kai Cenat, One Of The Top-Earning Creators, Is Putting Other Streamers On The Map Through A Streamer University

Kai Cenat was one of the top-earning creators in 2024, and now he wants to put other streamers in position. The New York native is one of the most popular content creators, with a Twitch community of 17.1 million followers and an Instagram following of 14.2 million (at the time of this writing). As AFROTECH™ previously reported, his success as a content creator in the streaming industry led to $8.5 million in earnings in 2024. What’s more, he shares his success with those around him. This also includes AMP (Any Means Possible), a content creator group that Cenat joined, consisting of Duke Dennis, Agent 00, Fanum, ImDavisss, and ChrisNxtDoor.   Before rising to fame with AMP, Cenat had been longtime friends with Tylil, Punga, and Dezz, for whom he recently purchased a home with the intention of supporting their streaming careers . RaKai, Ray, and Reggie, other streamers and friends of Cenat, were also given keys to the home. “Bought a house for my friends. God is good,” Cenat...

May 7, 2025

Aisha Bowe Says She's 'The Aerospace Engineer That Almost Failed High School' But She's Also The First Bahamian To Make It To Space

Aisha Bowe nearly failed high school but she never allowed her dreams to escape her, leading her into space. Choosing Her Own Path In high school, a guidance counselor suggested that Bowe, a first-generation Bahamian-American, consider a career in cosmetology, since school had not been her strong suit at the time. However, it was through her father — who passed away in 2025 — that she found encouragement to pursue mathematics and reject the limited path the counselor had envisioned for her. On the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas, Bowe acknowledges that the counselor’s restrictive views made her feel “demoralized,” so she chose not to apply to a four-year university and instead enrolled in a community college. Following a reality check, Bowe decided she wanted to become a NASA rocket scientist, a dream first envisioned by her father, who had initially moved to the United States to pursue this goal, notes Travel Noire. “I wanted to do...

May 6, 2025

Trump Administration Is Looking To Revert Howard University's Funding Amount Back To 2021 Levels, But The HBCU Is Not Aligned

Howard University is not aligned with the Trump administration’s request to revert funding levels back to 2021. Why Federal Funding Proposal Was Made The Hill reports that the nation’s only federally chartered Historically Black College and University (HBCU) received a one-time payment valued at $64 million to support the construction of a hospital at the school. That hospital has been completed, therefore the Trump administration is not looking to provide that extra funding for the 2026 year. Trump also shares that he doesn’t intend to cut the federal funding budget for HBCUs that is already in place. “I got them more money than they ever dreamt possible, and they’re in great shape now,” Trump said referring to a 2019 bill that started allocating over $250 million yearly to HBCUs starting in 2021, according to the outlet. “They have long-term financing. Nobody did that but Donald Trump.” Howard University Responds Howard University is requesting that its budget for the 2026 year...

May 5, 2025

Not Being Married To The Product Led John W. Rogers Jr.'s Ariel Investments To Diversify And Prove Its Positioning As A 'True Value Investor'

John W. Rogers Jr. had the confidence to make history at 24 years old because he was an investor at 12. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, it would be his father, who made the decision to ensure Rogers received stocks for Christmas and his birthday instead of toys, which included $200 worth of shares from companies such as General Motors and Commonwealth Edison. His father also played a role in him connecting with Chicago, IL’s first African American stock brocker, Stacy Adams, who became a mentor and role model. While both his parents worked as lawyers — his mother even made history as the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Chicago Law School — not to mention his grandfather, he never felt pressure to follow a similar footprint and was trusted to make his own decisions. Ariel Investments Rogers went on to pursue education at Princeton University, earning a degree in economics by 1980. He then spent two and a half years as a stock broker at William Blair and,...

May 2, 2025

Harvard Professors Pledge 10% Of Their Salary To Defend University's DEI Stance Being Challenged By Trump Administration

Harvard University professors are donating a portion of their salaries to the Ivy League after it lost federal funding. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Harvard received two letters from federal agencies instructing it to discontinue its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. The letters stated that failure to comply could result in the loss of about $9 billion in federal funding. According to Reuters, some of the conditions included reducing the influence of faculty, staff, and students who are “more committed to activism than scholarship.” Additionally, the letters requested an external panel to audit these groups for alignment with “viewpoint diversity,” arguing that the university has “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.” The letters also flagged concerns about unchallenged antisemitism. While Harvard University did agree to address concerns about antisemitism on campus, it also stated, “These ends...

May 2, 2025

After Making History As FAMU's Youngest Student, Curtis Lawrence III Is Officially Set To Graduate With A Degree In Biology

Curtis Lawrence III is set to graduate after making history at his HBCU. At 16 years old, Lawrence’s bright future was solidified after he was accepted into 14 esteemed colleges, which included Harvard University, Yale University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, and University of California Berkeley, as CBS News notes. He also received $1.6 million in scholarships at the time. “We’ve taught them from an early age that education is key to opening up the opportunities and having access to things that they want to life,” his father, Curtis Lawrence Jr., told CBS News. Choosing dual-enrollment for his last two years of high school, Lawrence III started taking both high school and college classes at George Washington University in Washington, DC, in 2019. Doing so at 14 years old, he made history as its youngest freshman, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. In 2021, he continued his studies as a junior at HBCU Florida A&M University (FAMU) and also made...

May 1, 2025

A Lawsuit Has Been Filed Against The University Of Alabama For Offering 'Race-Based Scholarships'

A lawsuit has been filed against the University of Alabama for offering race-based scholarships. According to WDHN, the Equal Protection Project, a national organization focused on “fair treatment of all persons without regard to race or ethnicity,” filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in regards to the school’s Norton-Textra Endowed Scholarship for minority students in English writing, which is awarded to African-American students enrolled full-time. The school received a letter on Feb. 14, 2025, from the Office for Civil Rights Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor that stated higher learning institutions “have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students.” The office issued a call to action to end race-based preferences and stereotypes. “Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them — particularly during the last four years — under the banner of...

Apr 29, 2025

Harvard University Renames DEI Office Amid Pressure From Trump Administration

The Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Harvard University will now be called the Office of Community and Campus Life. Sherri A. Charleston, previously Harvard’s chief diversity officer and now the chief community and campus life officer, shared this news via email on April 28, 2025, according to The Harvard Crimson. The announcement aligns with the Trump administration’s push to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) programming at schools and universities nationwide. “In the weeks and months ahead, we will take steps to make this change concrete and to work with all of Harvard’s schools and units to implement these vital objectives, including shared efforts to reexamine and reshape the missions and programs of offices across the university,” Charleston wrote, per The Crimson. Charleston noted that in the 2024 campus-wide Pulse Survey, students, faculty, and staff reported feeling a strong sense of belonging; however, a significant number still felt...

Apr 29, 2025

Trump Signs Executive Orders To Promote ‘Excellence And Innovation’ At HBCUs, AI In K-12 Education, College Accreditation Accountability

President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders that will impact education. Historically Black Colleges And Universities According to a press release, an executive order by Trump establishes a White House Initiative on HBCUs and seeks to enhance the quality of education at these universities through private-sector partnerships, as well as institutional and workforce development in industries such as technology, health care, manufacturing, and finance. The initiative will also work to ensure federal and state grant dollars are more accessible and plans to launch a yearly White House Summit geared toward HBCUs to determine goals and establish partnerships. At the same time, the order establishes the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs, which will exist under the Department of Education and include changemakers in philanthropy, education , business, finance, entrepreneurship , innovation, private foundations, and HBCU presidents. “HBCUs are essential to fostering...

Apr 24, 2025

Student Loan Debt Collection Resumes May 5 — What Borrowers Need To Know

The five-year pause is over. And for more than 5 million Americans, it’s about to get real. Starting May 5, the Department of Education will resume student loan debt collection for borrowers in default. These are individuals who haven’t made payments in at least 270 days. After years of pandemic-era relief dating back to 2020, the federal government is flipping the switch back on. This time, it’s bringing wage garnishments, seized tax refunds, and a wave of financial pressure with it. This isn’t just a policy shift for people already juggling rent, groceries, and gas; it’s a potential financial blow. The Government’s Warning Shot About Student Loan Debt ABC News reports that emails will go out to borrowers over the next two weeks. If you’re in default, you’ll be asked to either make a payment or enter a repayment plan. But if you don’t? The government has clarified that it will begin collecting through legal mechanisms like intercepting tax refunds , dipping into Social Security,...

Apr 22, 2025

Harvard University Sues Trump Administration Over $2.2B Federal Funding Freeze

Harvard University is suing the Trump administration for threatening to withhold federal funding after the university refused to comply with demands the government outlined in a letter dated April 11, 2025. On Monday, April 21, Harvard University President Alan Garber announced the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, MA, in a letter published on the university’s website. In the letter, he said the administration’s demands violate the First Amendment, disregard federal law, and threaten life-saving medical research. “Moments ago, we filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority,” Garber wrote. “…Before taking punitive action, the law requires that the federal government engage with us about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism. Instead, the government’s April 11 demands seek to control whom we hire and what we teach.” On April 14, the Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat...

Apr 22, 2025

Connecticut Will Not Adhere To The Trump Administration's Compliance Orders Regarding DEI In Education

Connecticut will not be bowing to Trump’s orders regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in education. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, on Feb. 14, the Trump Administration imposed a strict two-week timeline for schools and universities to comply with his orders around DEI such as no longer allowing “racial preferences” to be considered in admissions, financial aid, or hiring. “Educational institutions may neither separate nor segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race,” the memo read. Failure to comply could risk the loss of federal funding, particularly around Title 1 funding, which supports underserved families. Harvard University is currently under a $2.3 billion federal freeze for pushing back. “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government,” a letter penned from the Ivy...

Apr 18, 2025

'Discipline And Dedication To Excellence' Propelled Rosalind 'Roz' Brewer To Become One Of Few Black Women CEOs In Fortune 500

Rosalind “Roz” Brewer is a trailblazer. While Brewer has proven to be a corporate catalyst through her various high-ranking positions, it was her parents who set an example of excellence, both working at General Motors. In particular, her father worked several jobs simultaneously to support her education along with that of her siblings. “He didn’t have the choice to pursue even his high school diploma, but eventually achieved a significant management role in the auto industry. He displayed so much discipline and dedication to excellence,” Brewer, a Michigan native, explained in a Q&A with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, where she is part owner.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by AFROTECH (@afro.tech) Brewer would go on to display the same characteristics she admired about her father. She attended Spelman College, graduating in 1984 with a degree in chemistry, before pursuing further education at the Director’s College at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business,...

Apr 11, 2025

Students Claim Roc Nation School At LIU Failed To Deliver On ‘Graduate Without Debt’ Promise

A group of students claims a New York school backed by Jay-Z underdelivered on its promise. According to the Gothamist, a group of students is alleging that the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn overpromised on financial awards to fund their eduction. Several offer letters the students have received from the school describe incentives such as a “full-tuition scholarship” and “financial grants” that would allow them “to graduate without debt.” However, the letters did not mention that the financial awards would not cover housing costs or certain academic fees, which can add up to more than $22,000 per year. “I am pleased to share that you have been awarded a Hope full-tuition scholarship… This scholarship, combined with financial grants will allow you to graduate without debt. As a Hope scholar, you don’t have to worry about tuition charges,” an email from the school’s academic adviser read. One student, Justice Stephenson,...

Apr 9, 2025