Hi, and welcome! I’m really glad you’re here!

My name is Niya Simone. I'm a West Philadelphia native and a proud graduate of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the nation’s first HBCU. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in 2024, graduating cum laude through the Keystone Honors Academy, and am a legacy initiate of the mighty Delta Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. I am currently pursuing my Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing degree, at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. I would describe myself as a creative focused on community service and community development, with a deep passion for documentation through words, visuals, and lived experiences.

The inspiration for this platform, HBCU Bound, comes directly from my own college experience.

When college became the next step, I applied to only four schools, all HBCUs. Although I was initially reluctant to attend college, I knew that if I did, no matter where I went, it would be an HBCU. I was accepted into all four institutions, but my connection to Cheyney was and still is generational. My mother, MarQuita Danzy, Class of 1999, attended Cheyney, and when it came time for me to choose a college, Cheyney awarded me the Keystone Honors Scholarship. This full-coverage award paid for my tuition, room and board, meals, and more.

Cheyney was also the only institution that offered me a path to continue my education through the doctoral level at no cost. That level of access shaped how I view higher education, not as a luxury, but as an opportunity that could truly transform my life.

Going to school for free put me ahead simply by not putting me behind. Neither I nor my mother were placed at a financial disadvantage. Graduating debt free gave me the freedom to think, explore, and grow without the pressure of survival after graduation.

In February 2022, during my sophomore year of college, I wrote ABC My HBCU, a children’s alphabet book where each letter represented a different HBCU. While working on that project, I found myself learning about the schools just as much as my future readers would. I realized there were HBCUs I would have seriously considered had I known about them earlier. That realization stayed with me. If I felt that way, I knew others would too. It became clear there was a need for a resource that could help students make informed decisions at the exact moment they were preparing to enter college.

ABC My HBCU did well initially, but it eventually flatlined as both a product and a brand. There were errors, a title issue, and public criticism that led me to take it down. That experience was humbling but necessary. It taught me the responsibility that comes with telling our stories and the importance of accuracy. The idea itself was never wrong. It simply was not finished growing.

Four years and one degree later, that growth became The HBCU Encyclopedia and the foundation for a much larger platform.

The HBCU Encyclopedia was created for students actively preparing for college. It is meant to be used, not just read. The book features 108 HBCUs and is designed to guide students through the landscape of these institutions in a clear and accessible way. One of my favorite features is the QR codes, which take users directly to each school’s official website where they can find admissions requirements, applications, and key information. The QR codes also link to each school’s Instagram page so students can get a real sense of campus life and culture. The social experience of college matters. Feeling like you belong matters. At that point, this became more than a book. It became a real tool.

There is often debate about whether college is worth it. I don’t deny that there are many ways to be successful and even wealthy without a degree. I was originally against going to college myself. What ultimately changed my perspective was understanding the value of cognitive and social development. That is what college truly offers, and that is what matters most to me.

College taught me how to think, not what to think. As my cognitive and social development expanded, I began forming ideas more intentionally. I learned how to combine all of my skills into one vision. Talents that once felt scattered came together into something cohesive, something capable of supporting the life I want to live. I hope that through this platform and through their own college experiences, students are able to do the same. There are many paths to a happy and fulfilling life that do not involve a traditional nine to five schedule or a binding career.

College is also where you find your people. Your friends, best friends, sisters, and brothers. It is where you meet your future children’s aunts and uncles and form bonds that extend far beyond their place of origin. These fictive kin relationships have always been deeply important in African American communities, dating back to slavery when African families were deliberately torn apart. These connections are part of our roots and our survival. Many of the people who will one day be my future children’s aunts and uncles come from my college experience, just as many of my own came from growing up around Cheyney and my Moms people.

While I was in school, I also grew very close to God. That spiritual grounding became just as important, if not more important, than my academic growth. If I can help students develop cognitively, socially, and in their beliefs, whatever those beliefs may be, by guiding them toward a school that is truly for them, then this work is doing exactly what it is meant to do.

This is only the beginning. My goal is to grow this platform into much more, including school tours, scholarships, internships, and real access points for students navigating higher education.

The best is yet to come. Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

With love,
Niya Simone