Medgar Evers College Shines at the Strada Scholar Leadership Summit
This past weekend, March 20 – 22, 2026, Medgar Ever College’s Strada Scholars, along with President Dr. Patricia Ramsey and Senior Vice President Dr. Jesse Kane attended the 4th Annual Strada Scholars Leadership Summit in Dallas, Texas. The Summit, a culminating experience as part of the Strada HBCU Leadership Initiative, brings together students from the 50 HBCU/PBI partner institutions for an intensive weekend of leadership and professional development. Scholars get to interact with industry professionals to help gain valuable skills as they look to become the next generation of leaders in their professions. Over 400 Scholars attended this year’s Summit.
The HBCU Initiative is sponsored through the Strada Education Foundation and is a major, multi-year investment aimed at strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities as vital engines of opportunity, leadership, and social mobility. Through a commitment of $25 million, the Initiative supports student success, leadership development, and career-connected learning, most notably through the Strada Scholars Program, which provides scholarships, mentorship, and internship opportunities. Medgar Evers College was able to get included in the Initiative through the advocacy of Dr. Ramsey at a Philanthropy Conference three years ago. As a result, MEC is one of a few Predominantly Black Institutions who have students included in this transformative experience. Our Strada Scholars are Thierno Diallo, Aisha Dyer, Ibraheem Kieta, Nickiesha Salmon, Tariq Shallow, and James Viafara.
At this year’s Summit, a new component was instituted, which included students being divided into groups to develop a “pitch” for an innovative idea that could help improve student success. Multiple teams “competed” in color-coded rooms, and the winning team from each room earned the honor of presenting their “pitch” at the final banquet. All of our students did well, but Team Yellow, led by Aisha Dyer, was the winner in her assigned room and went on to represent her team at the final banquet. Dyer nearly brought the room to a thunderous roar with cheers on how we can help students gain better access to necessary workforce skills beyond just getting their degrees. In fact, the project was entitled: “Skills Beyond the Degree!” Her delivery was masterful as she conveyed her ideas and truly commanded the room.
We are so proud of how the Medgar Evers students represented the entire weekend. They were actively engaged, and it became evident that they stood out as leaders amongst their peers. For more information on the HBCU Strada Scholars at MEC, please contact Dr. Jesse Kane at jkane@mec.cuny.edu.
