Kicking Off Black History Month, FedEx Launches HBCU Student Ambassador Program

In the wake of the 2020 racial justice protests, companies across the United States have increased their efforts to diversify. One strategy has been to partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which have the longest and most successful track record in the nation for producing African American talent.

With this thought in mind, and building on a history of supporting HBCUs, FedEx announced the launch of the FedEx-HBCU Student Ambassador Program on February 1st — the first day of Black History Month. The program seeks to prepare students who attend HBCUs to be future leaders and will provide career-readiness skills. It will also expand the company’s pipeline for recruiting a diversity of talent. 

The Ambassador Program officially kicks off in March, with the first cohort of students. FedEx intends to introduce a new cohort each year, to align with a five-year commitment to HBCUs that the company announced last year. Student participants in the Ambassador Program were selected based on their career interests in areas such as e-commerce, sustainability, tech, logistics, marketing communications, sales, data analytics, and operations. Each participating HBCU was able to select two students for a total of 16 students who will be part of the inaugural cohort.

According to Jenny Robertson, Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Communications at FedEx, “We are excited about the FedEx-HBCU Student Ambassador Program because it is imperative that we continue to create a diverse pipeline because investing in people makes us stronger. We are encouraging their input, so that we, too, can learn and grow through this process.” 

Student participants were selected from the following HBCUs: Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi), Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tennesse), LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tennesse), Mississippi Valley State University (Itta Bena, Mississippi), Lane College (Jackson, Tennesse), Paul Quinn College (Dallas, Texas), Miles College (Fairfield, Alabama), and Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, North Carolina). These eight HBCUs are regionally located within a short distance of a FedEx operating or distribution facility. The proximity to FedEx facilities allows students more opportunities to engage with team members and learn about FedEx business operations.  

To kick off the program, FedEx leaders, HBCU presidents, and student program participants participated in a special ceremonial presentation during the ringing of The Closing Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 1st. This event also commemorated the nation’s celebration of Black History Month. Grateful for the opportunities for his students, Thomas Hudson, president of Jackson State University (JSU), tweeted a photo of himself along with the two student ambassadors from JSU – Jayla Manor and Ezra Snell at the ceremony.