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Santiago Canyon College students will tour historically Black colleges and universities

April 7, 2026

Established long before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, historically Black colleges and universities were created to educate African American students at a time when most institutions of higher learning refused to admit them. Today, professionals representing some of the 107 Black colleges in the U.S. band together to form “HBCU Caravans,” visiting schools and communities throughout the nation to encourage enrollment and promote the many ways they assist students of color.

Thanks to a partnership between the California Community Colleges and select HBCUs, every year at least one such Caravan visits colleges in the Golden State.

This month, for the first time, Santiago Canyon College will proactively reverse the process, taking 12 SCC students on a tour of five historically Black colleges and universities. The Spring 2026 HBCU Tour is administered by the Black Scholars Network, powered by Umoja, a statewide program dedicated to enhancing the cultural and educational experiences of African American and other students. More commonly referred to simply as Umoja — the Swahili word for “unity” — it furnishes, among many other elements, academic counseling, mentoring and tutoring by fellow Umoja students, a variety of educational and motivational workshops, and a Liberation Library, composed of books on Black excellence and social justice. Most critically, Umoja also provides a sense of community.

“Traditionally, students of color, especially Black and African American students, don’t have the highest success rates,” said Amanda Campbell, SCC assistant professor of counseling. “So building a community like Umoja, a place to support them and help ensure that they’re progressing forward in a positive manner, is an essential goal.”

Along with visits to Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University and Spelman College, the Spring 2026 HBCU Tour, April 6-10, will include stops at civil rights landmarks and cultural museums, as well as expose SCC students to communities and cultures in which the schools thrive.

“Seeing the actual campuses will be very helpful for the students,” said Yuri Betancourt, SCC’s director of special programs, who oversees Umoja at the college. “They’ll get to have a lived understanding of what it is to be in a place where students look like them, something that they’re familiar with. We want to show them cultural differences between Orange County and life in the South. For example, this region is completely different than Atlanta.”

The Black Scholars Network at Santiago Canyon College will visit 12 historically Blackcolleges and universities and include a class taught by SCC assistant professor of counseling Amanda Campbell on skills assessment, goal development, academic planning, study techniques and academic major selection. (Photo courtesy of RSCCD Communications) — The Black Scholars Network at Santiago Canyon College will visit 12 historically Black
colleges and universities and include a class taught by SCC assistant professor of
counseling Amanda Campbell on skills assessment, goal development, academic
planning, study techniques and academic major selection. (Photo courtesy of RSCCD Communications)

The tour will also include a class taught by Campbell, Counseling 106, a comprehensive look at skills assessment, goal development, academic planning, study techniques and academic-major selection. “Amanda will also help them process information about transfer planning, college comparisons and related financial literacy,” Betancourt said. “And at the end of April, our students will do a presentation for the entire SCC community, based on their experience touring HBCUs.”

In addition, the 12 touring students will learn about college transfer and enrollment options, including a look at the HBCU Transfer Guarantee, a structured pathway that lets California Community College students secure guaranteed admission to more than 30 HBCUs by maintaining a minimum 2.0 GPA.

“While the Transfer Guarantee is separate from the Umoja program, we make our students aware of this important resource and encourage them to visit our campus Transfer Success Center,” said George Parker, coordinator of Umoja at SCC. “It’s critical that they know about this opportunity.”

Parker, who will be joining the students on the tour with Campbell, reiterated the importance of exposing the Santiago Canyon College students to more than just HBCU campuses. “We want to give them an alternative experience of place and culture,” he said. “Other programs take students on campus tours, but they usually go to the big-name UCs, the more popular Cal States and some of the more prominent private schools, including those on the East Coast. But they never visit any HBCUs.”

Distinguished people who benefited from their time at historically Black colleges and universities include civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Justice Thurgood Marshall, film director Spike Lee, former Vice President Kamala Harris and media mogul Oprah Winfrey. The HBCUs furnished them, and thousands of other students of color through the decades, with a sense of belonging.

This sense of community is a critical element of Umoja, Bettencourt said. “What we’re trying to do with the Black Scholars Network, Powered by Umoja is to help students thrive not just academically, but also personally and professionally. And we want to instill them with a sense of cultural pride, so that they feel they belong in the space that we’re creating for them. One Black student at SCC once told me that she didn’t find enough Black students here, that she felt out of place. Well, we want to help create that sense of belonging for everyone.”

Santiago Canyon College students will tour historically Black colleges and universities Orange County Register

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Santiago Canyon College students will tour historically Black colleges and universities

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