By Lucas Johnson
Tennessee State University was on Wall Street. TSU President Glenda Glover and one of the school’s top students joined FedEx Corporation to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 1. The ceremonial event served as an announcement for the FedEx HBCU Student Ambassador program.
President Glover and sophomore Shaun Wimberly, Jr. were joined by presidents and student ambassadors from seven other historically black colleges and universities that FedEx is currently supporting through a $5 million grant announced last year.
“This is great exposure for Tennessee State University as we join FedEx Corporation for the ceremonial ringing of the bell at the New York Stock Exchange,” said TSU President Glenda Glover.
“The FedEx leadership continues to show its commitment to TSU and HBCUs through financial support, internships, along with career and development opportunities. Our invitation to be a part of the closing bell on one of the largest financial stages in the world and the HBCU Student Ambassador program is evidence of that commitment.”
Wimberly, an agricultural business major from Louisville, Kentucky, said the trip was ideal for his career path and he was elated to be a part of the closing bell ceremony.
“I’m thankful for being selected by FedEx to represent my HBCU TSU, a place that is molding me to be my best self and providing opportunities like this,” said Wimberly.
“This is an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experience and it’s happening because of a great corporate partnership between the University and FedEx that is truly investing in students. I’m proof of that.”
Wimberly is one of two students who represented TSU in the FedEx HBCU Student Ambassador program. The other student was sophomore Breana Jefferson of Madison, Alabama.
The HBCU Student Ambassador program aims to provide empowerment, engagement, and education for students; and resources that will hopefully offer them an edge as they prepare to enter the workforce after college.
Antoinette Duke, director of TSU’s Career Development Center, said she’s proud to have TSU students participate in the FedEx program.
“The career development center is so excited to have two of our top scholars represent TSU as ambassadors for FedEx,” said Duke. “These students understand the value of representation.”
The program will officially kick off in March, with the first cohort of students who will participate in virtual and hybrid meetings. The intent is to introduce a new cohort each year, to align with FedEx’s five-year commitment to HBCUs.
Students for the program were selected based on their career interests in various areas, including e-commerce, sustainability, IT/tech, logistics, marketing communications, sales, data/analytics, operations, and more. The first cohort of student participants will help set the direction for upcoming FedEx Ambassador programs, such as career pathways initiatives, HBCU leadership institutes, and student forums/think tanks.
“We’re preparing tomorrow’s leaders, and the students we reach through this program will gain valuable practical experience that will help prepare them to enter the workforce,” said Judy Edge, corporate vice president for human resources at FedEx. “It will also help us to continue to bring diverse talent into our pipeline at FedEx.”
The FedEx Corporation has had a long partnership with HBCUs. Since the early 2000s, the company has played a vital role in cultivating the next generation of leaders from these institutions.
Last year, NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin unveiled a special HBCU paint scheme featured on his #11 FedEx Toyota during last year’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona that included school logos of TSU and three other HBCUs.
