Henrietta Goodwin Scholars: Supporting Black Students from Day One
Named for the first Black graduate in SDSUs origins as a teachers college, the program strives to help freshmen succeed academically and socially.
For many freshmen students, stepping foot on a college campus can be intimidating and overwhelming. Many desire a sense of community and support in order to thrive and successfully graduate. At San Diego State University, members of the Black Resource Center (BRC) noticed Black students are no exception to this pattern, and designed a mentoring program to help address these issues.
Housed within the BRC, the Henrietta Goodwin Scholars (HGS) Program provides programming for Black students designed to ensure their success academically, socially and professionally.
“HGS is a freshman mentoring program where students are introduced to campus resources, community building and racial development identity,” said Bonnie Reddick, director of the Black Resource Center.
Named for the first Black student to graduate from what was then the San Diego Normal School, HGS offers academic support, community engagement and personal and professional development. This includes support from Black faculty and staff, access to peer mentors, tutoring and other resources, invitations to cultural activities, integration into the BRC, as well as access to research and leadership opportunities.
Henrietta Goodwin Scholars are enrolled in a number of courses designed to provide an academic learning environment where they feel safe and supported and can be successful. These courses also satisfy various general education requirements ensuring these students are on the path to graduation.
Cierra Bush, a kinesiology sophomore and HGS participant, said the support she received from the program was crucial to her success as a freshman.
“Being a part of HGS has not only surrounded me with like-minded and intelligent Black peers, but also equipped me with mentors, tutors and SDSU staff who have gone through the same challenges that I go through, want to see me succeed, and help me reach my full potential,” said Bush.
The mentoring and experience Bush describes is exactly why HGS program director Tonika Green considers the program effective.
“HGS works because it is the heartbeat of the BRC. Its success is rooted in a village framework that recognizes when one succeeds we all succeed,” said Green. “No one is greater than the other and we all share in the vision of making sure our students are cared for, loved, affirmed, and academically strong.”
The HGS program was recently redesigned to address the different and ever-changing needs of college students and also to ensure students succeed socially.
“We want them to do well academically of course,” said Reddick. “But we also want them to be involved in collegiate life.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BRC had organized a number of events for the program’s scholars. These included a trip to Petco Park for a baseball game on Jackie Robinson Day, April 15.
“We weren’t able to build out some of the events we had in mind last semester because of the pandemic,” said Reddick. “But these students still managed to get connected and build community. We know this to be true because a number of our now sophomore scholars from that cohort are very involved with organizations on campus.”
Despite the fall semester being held largely in the virtual space, the HGS program remains committed to ensuring Black students are given the resources they need even if they will not be stepping foot on campus. This is something Bush thinks is crucial.
“Black students need to know that although we are not in the same space, we still have our professors, mentors, and peers to lean into, we are still here for each other, and in times like this when you have to balance school, a pandemic, and fighting for your rights and livelihood, you need to surround yourself with people who care just as much as you do and work together to implement change.”
Bush, who is already enrolled in the sophomore HGS course, says the program and the support provided is something all Black students need to know exists and get involved with.
“I think that every Black freshman student at San Diego State University should be enrolled in this program,” said Bush. “It is not a class that segregates the Black students from the rest of the school, but it’s a class that uplifts Black students. It helps us grow and become better students and also encourages us to adapt to the SDSU community not only as participants and just being another average student, but leaders and role models for the entire student body."
