At Xavier University of Louisiana, students are encouraged to go above and beyond so they can thrive on their individual career paths. Summertime offers Xavier students opportunities to participate in programs and complete internships that help elevate, strengthen, and prepare them for their professional careers. This pursuit of excellence resulted in four Xavierites being selected for the UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the nation’s largest education organization specifically for minorities. Supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the UNCF/Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship supports and encourages undergraduates in specific areas of study to pursue Ph.D. programs, particularly in the humanities and certain social sciences. Designed to seek the “best and brightest” students within the UNCF network, the  Fellowship provides work-study compensation for research activity throughout the academic year, summer stipends, a mentor support system, the opportunity to attend a Summer Research Institute, GRE preparation, assistance with applying to graduate school, and the repayment of all or part of undergraduate students loans for those who pursue Ph.D. programs. This is for the ultimate development of future faculty scholars who will transform the academic field through their scholarship, teaching, and thought leadership. To be eligible for the fellowship, students must be a sophomore at the time of their application, have a 3.2 GPA or above, and must intend to pursue a Ph.D. and a career as a college professor.

For those selected for the fellowship this year, the program will begin with the Summer Research Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. This year, the four Xavierites, Caris Green, Whitney Cooper, Nandipha DuBois, and Correy Wright, will begin their journey with the program. They will be joined by 20 other student scholars from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUS), such as Spelman, Morehouse, Hampton, and Fisk.

Caris Green and Whitney Cooper are the only music majors in the Class of 2026 and earned fellowships in Ethnomusicology.

Caris Green is a sophomore Music Education major at Xavier University of Louisiana. With aspirations to teach music on the collegiate level, Green first learned of the opportunity for the UNCF Fellowship through Dr. Sakinah Davis, an assistant professor of voice and the director of the Opera Workshop at Xavier University of Louisiana who is an alumna of the fellowship. Through her guidance, Green was able to compile the extensive research materials needed for the application. He could not believe it when he received his acceptance into the program.

“This was my first time ever compiling research of this magnitude and scope, especially considering all the ways one could study ethnomusicology,” said Green, “However, with the guidance of Dr. Davis, it all seemed less nebulous and daunting. I was grateful, ecstatic, and relieved all at once knowing that all the work and effort we invested paid off.”

Green hopes that the fellowship will be an opportunity to grow his professional skills on his path to becoming a professor and is grateful for a program where the humanities take precedence.

Whitney Cooper is a sophomore Music Liberal Arts major at Xavier University of Louisiana. Like Green, she also learned of the opportunity from Dr. Sakinah Davis. Cooper hopes to develop networking skills, gain exposure to scholars in Ethnomusicology, and gain experience conducting research required to pursue a Ph.D. For Cooper, being accepted into the fellowship is something that she prayed for and, like Green, credits Dr. Davis’s assistance with her application.

“I was super excited and extremely grateful to God and to my mentor! Dr. Davis persistently uplifted my work during the application process and was extremely helpful when determining exactly what to include in my Abstracts,” Cooper said of her acceptance into the program. “Upon submitting my application, I had begun to second-guess the value of my work. But through prayer, I acknowledged the extent of my work and trusted that if this opportunity was for me, then it would be so.”

Correy Wright is a sophomore English major at Xavier University of Louisiana. He applied for the fellowship after learning of the opportunity from Dr. Shearon Roberts, an associate professor and head of the Mass Communications department at Xavier and director of Xavier’s Exponential Honors program, which Wright is a part of. Wright wanted to participate in the fellowship to gain experience and insight into interdisciplinary studies and to develop a deep understanding of the African American Diaspora. For Wright, the humanities can be a somewhat complicated field for scholars, one where he acknowledges students can sometimes be overlooked. Yet, like Green and Cooper, Wright was ecstatic upon learning that he had been accepted into the fellowship.

“I didn’t believe it, at first. I called my Momma, hollering in disbelief!” Wright said of his acceptance, recounting his previously feeling invisible as a humanities major. “In this program these people saw my information, work, and heard what I had to say, and picked me.”

Nandipha DuBois is a rising junior Public Health major. Like Wright, she learned about the opportunity through Dr. Shearon Roberts as a part of Xavier’s Exponential Honors program. DuBois credits her professors in the Honors Program and Public Health Department for readying her to apply and, ultimately, be accepted into the fellowship. DuBois hopes to gain skills and experience to more adequately pursue her doctorate and build relationships that will benefit her academically and professionally. She likes the fact that the research involved in the fellowship will enable her to positively impact people of all ages. DuBois said she was happy to be recognized and honored after learning she was accepted into the program.  

“I felt like I was seen and worthy of being a part of such an important fellowship opportunity,” said DuBois

For the four Xavierites, the professors and mentors in their respective programs at Xavier have played an invaluable part in their journeys. They credit their professors for propelling them forward and turning the opportunity into reality for them. Xavier has shown these students and countless others firsthand that opportunities like this one are out there, and these Xavier professors have prepared them to excel in such programs.

“Not only had the courses I’d taken thus far within the Music Department provided me with a plethora of resources and texts to utilize in my research, but the support of the faculty and my classmates was crucial to my acceptance into the fellowship,” said Green.

Cooper echoed Green’s sentiments, “I think that the professors that are a part of the Xavier family are utterly invaluable, generous, and passionate about seeing students succeed as professionals and leaders in the world. Because of their dedication to the mission, Xavier has aided in preparing me for this opportunity.”