N.C. A&T’s Ross Selected for HBCU National Center Class of Summer 2022

Photo Credit: Jen Mink Photography

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 1, 2022) – The HBCU National Center selected Sydney Ross, a rising senior multimedia journalism major at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, to participate in its Class of Summer 2022 cohort. The HBCU National Center program was “established by the Honorable Jacqueline M. Lewis to foster experiential learning, mentorship, and networking” and aims to help make internship housing in Washington, D.C. affordable for students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Ross will intern in the nation’s capital this summer with the Black-owned network launched by renowned journalist and commentator Roland S. Martin. She will join 10 students from Howard University, Spelman College, Dillard University, Alabama State University, Kentucky State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Paul Quinn College and Edward Waters College.

In a LinkedIn post, she shared her excitement with supporters.

“I am so happy to announce that I have accepted a [10-week] internship this summer with Roland Martin and Black Star Media Inc. in Washington, D.C.,” Ross said. “All praises to God for continuous blessings. I want to extend a SPECIAL thank you to David Squires for connecting [me] with Roland and helping to set up this amazing opportunity.”

Squires is a lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JOMC) in N.C. A&T’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. When Ross learned she would no longer be able to intern with Black News Channel following the company’s shuttering, Squires reached out to Martin and his team to see if there was an available opportunity for his exceptional student.

Martin surprised Ross and her parents when he announced during the Roland Martin Unfiltered show that he would offer her a paid summer internship with his team at the Black Star Network. Martin was tapped as the 2020 keynote speaker commemorating A&T’s 60th anniversary of the February One sit-in by four university freshmen that sparked a national movement in the fight for civil rights. He commented on the importance of Black-owned media and creating space and opportunities for underrepresented talent, voices and stories.

Ross, a Raleigh, North Carolina, native, has proven to be a talented student, storyteller and change agent. She was recently named The A&T Register’s “theCulture” section editor, after previously serving as a lead and section reporter during her time at the university. In high school, Ross participated in the WRAL Explorer Post 5 program, operating the camera, interviewing and producing alongside full-time staff. She was also a production assistant intern with the Raleigh Television Network.

In her spare time, she founded Change the Type in 2016, a project and movement “designed to promote positivity into the media and encourage young African-Americans all over the world to be the best they can be.”

Ross is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and recently received an NABJ-HBCU Scholarship Initiative award in the amount of $10,000.

In addition to Squires’ networking efforts, A&T’s Office of Career Services Pamela Basheer and JOMC Interim Chair and Janice Bryant Howroyd/News & Record Endowed Professor Robbie Morganfield, Ph.D., also assisted Ross in securing housing for her summer opportunity. The collaboration and quick response further showcases the university’s far-reaching influence and dedication to students’ professional development and success.