Hassan, a recent Richmond Public High School graduate, first heard about the opportunity to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) when KR Scholars came to speak at his school this year. As a 17-year-old unsure about college, he was eager to learn about the opportunity to pursue a career as a business owner and plug into a university that felt like home.
KR Scholars founders, Kristen and Rufus Johnson, told him about their HBCU Summer Bridge Program. The program is free for Richmond youth ages 11 – 19 through the city’s Positive Youth Development (PYD) initiative. Hassan jumped into the program right away and attends seminars weekly, gaining inspiration from current HBCU students and graduates about their experiences and careers. He plans on attending community college this fall in hopes of transferring to Norfolk State, Virginia State, or Fayetteville State University later in his academic career.
“This program, and Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, have helped me understand how to get to college. I wasn’t really going to go. They changed my heart.” says Hassan.
Meet Kristen and Rufus Johnson, founders of KR Scholars
By day, Kristen Johnson is an IT professional working for a local Fortune 200 company, and her husband Rufus is a music educator of 22 years. Outside of their nine-to-fives, the pair dedicate their free time to amplifying students’ career success, specifically those in pursuit of attending HBCUs.
Both attended HBCUs–Fayetteville State University and Winston-Salem State University. “I had an absolutely transformative experience,” says Kristen. “I met lifelong friends, and as a Black woman in tech, I was afforded so many opportunities, like interning at NASA. This led me to my current career as an IT manager for 14 years.”
The early days of KR Scholars
In 2020, Kristen and Rufus were pricked with the personal question, “What can we do to see actionable change amidst a global pandemic and calls for social justice?” They put their personal funds together to distribute scholarships for students attending HBCUs.
Their generosity caught wind, and community members began to help meet the growing need for scholarship support. As a fully operational nonprofit, they’ve expanded their services to programs like the HBCU Bridge to provide holistic support to students before and during their college journeys.
Meeting the needs of Richmond teens through the HBCU Summer Bridge Program
From the Johnsons’ experience, the top barriers to youth attending college are:
- Finances
- Lack of college readiness resources
- Little to no exposure of college pathways, including:
- Financial assistance
- College majors
- Career paths post-college
“As an educator, I want to see more information being shared with students about college, especially HBCUs. We want kids to gain more exposure to what college looks like and that it can be for them. There are financial barriers, but we’re sharing the possibilities. We tailor our programming to the ‘average’ student who may not know [about open doors].” says Rufus.
The HBCU Summer Bridge program is held at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond’s Teen and Community Center. Once a week for eight weeks, students learn about topics such as college readiness, different facets of HBCUs, and the avenues to attend them– including scholarships. For some youth, the HBCU Bridge is their first time hearing about HBCUs or their potential to attend college at all.
Kristen shares, “We aim to expose students to accessible careers, that are economically mobile, that students may not be aware of.”
The Summer Bridge program invites current college students who can share experiences with middle and high schoolers. Undergrads recount their transition to college and share experiences with sororities and fraternities (like the Divine Nine), HBCU homecomings, managing jobs and finances while studying, and more. This provides opportunities for younger participants to learn from mentors close in age and pave attainable, clear paths for themselves.
Real results: College dreams becoming reality
KR Scholars’ HBCU Bridge program (operating during the school year and summer) serves students from five high schools across Richmond with groundbreaking results:
- 100% of participants are accepted into at least one HBCU
- 100% of participants graduate from high school
- 90% of participants are the first in their families to attend college
- 85% of program participants enrolled in a four‑year college
“We see students light up at the possibility of going to college.” says Rufus.
Kristen shares, “Week by week, students gain confidence and show up stronger. And they start to open up to us as we build relationships with each of them.”
Amina, a KR Scholar alum and sophomore at Norfolk State University, is pursuing a degree to become a labor and delivery nurse. “I learned that Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States, and it’s something I’m deeply committed to addressing.”
She shares her passion for mentoring younger attendees who are interested in carving a path to HBCUs for themselves. Amina also shares her appreciation to the Johnsons for checking in with her while she’s at college:
“Mrs. Kristen will call or text me to ask how I’m doing, how my grades are, or what I’m doing around campus. She’ll also keep me updated about things I could plug into on campus. It’s encouraging to know they care about their scholars and have us on their minds.”
Scaling program capacity through the Positive Youth Development initiative
There’s an incredible talent pool in Richmond, and a group of emerging young leaders who are eager to grow their skills and interests in out-of-school time programs.
The Positive Youth Development initiative expands existing programs’ capacity to serve more Richmond youth (ages 11 – 19) at no cost to families. PYD serves more than 800 Richmond youth annually through 50+ programs across the city.
NextUp manages program applications and vetting process, helps distribute PYD funding through subgrants, tracks program data, conducts site visits, and more.
“[The Positive Youth Development] partnership with the City of Richmond and NextUp has been so pivotal. We started the HBCU Bridge program in partnership with Richmond Public Schools [during the school year]. To be honest, summer programs weren’t on our radar. But being able to scale our program and capacity to serve more youth has been such a blessing for us.” says Kristen.
Out-of-school time programs like the KR Scholars HBCU Bridge are the catalyst many young adults need to start their career journeys. Youth programs also foster relationships with trusted adults and community leaders like the Johnsons, who dedicate much of their lives to seeing Richmond youth thrive.
How to plug into Positive Youth Development programs
Youth and families can browse and connect to programs, including Positive Youth Development-supported programs with NextUp’s Youth Program Locator. Be sure to bookmark the locator, as programs are added throughout the year. Summer programs are added in May and June, and school year programs are added in August and September.
While most of the programs and camps on the locator are free to Richmond youth ages 11 – 19 living in the City of Richmond, there are also affordable and low-cost options.
You can also sign up for NextUp’s monthly newsletter for the latest information and news on out-of-school time programs happening across Richmond. Learn more about how to support afterschool and summer programs.
