We will be celebrating Michelle Obama's College Signing Day with a digital celebration on May 1, 2020 at 4:00 pm, joined by our partners, CollegebyHer and DinnerTableDoc through the Better Make Room Initiative.
We know this is not an easy time for schools or students, so we’ve put together an exciting day to celebrate the accomplishments of high school young women of color across the country.
We will be highlighting high school seniors who have made their collegiate decisions, while conducting conversations on college mentor-ship, mental health, and finances with our special guest Nzingha Prescod in a Q&A session on Instagram live. Learn more about Nzingha below:
Nzingha is a two-time Olympic fencer and multiple time World Champion. She is the most decorated Black female fencer in USA Fencing history.
A Brooklyn native, Nzingha became the first African-American woman to win an individual medal at the Senior World Championships when she claimed bronze in 2015. In July of 2018 she and her team captured Team USA’s first-ever World Championships gold medal for the foil discipline. She has ranked as high as #5 in the world and qualified for the London Olympic Games at just 19. In 2016, she returned to the pinnacle of fencing competition in Rio at 23 where she finished 11th.
Prescod started fencing at nine years old at the well-regarded Peter Westbrook Foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing the art of fencing to the under-served youth of New York. Prescod displayed an extraordinary talent for the sport at a very young age. She dominated the world stage at a young age, becoming a four-time World Champion at the Cadet and Junior levels. Simultaneously, Nzingha became a graduate of New York City's highly acclaimed Stuyvesant High School. She then continued her education at Columbia University, where she graduated with a degree in political science with a concentration in race and ethnicity.
Continuing the legacy of the Peter Westbrook Foundation, Nzingha spends her Saturday mornings as a volunteer instructor. Nzingha attributes her athletic successes to the high-caliber opportunity presented by the Foundation. Since retiring, she’s become a sports equity champion, advocating for inclusive, accessible and high-quality sports education for youth. She is currently working as a consultant at Ernst & Young.