MEMPHIS, Tenn — Kicking off Black History Month, FedEx has announced a new student ambassador program with historically black colleges and universities including LeMoyne-Owen College.
At Tuesday afternoon’s New York Stock Exchange bell ringing, presidents from eight HBCUs along with FedEx announced the program.
“It’s going to help me get prepared for the outside world, get a job, internships, networking,” said LeMoyne-Owen College junior Eva Fondren.
Sixteen students including Fondren, a business accounting major, were selected to join.
“I’m looking forward to learning more and meeting more students who have the same mindset as me and goals as me. It’s nice to be able to network and get to know everybody,” said Fondren.
Participants in the program will also gain exposure to FedEx leadership and participate in seminars designed to provide education and prepare them to enter the workforce.
FedEx said the program is an extension of the company’s investment in HBCUs.
“We’re going to expose them to some world-class speakers, there will be executives from FedEx, there will be other notable speakers from around the country across multiple disciplines,” explained Donald Comer, FedEx’s VP of Decision Science and Analysis.
“We’ll expose them to FedEx and the many touchpoints that happen within a Fortune 100 company,” he said.
LeMoyne-Owen College President Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs said in the selection process, the school searched for career-minded students.
“We were looking for scholars, we were looking for students who were engaged both inside and outside the classroom,” said Bennett-Fairs.
For Fondren, the program means jumpstarting her career post-graduation.
“I would love to start off with FedEx and broaden my horizons from there that would definitely help me kick off my career,” said Fondren.
The program runs a full academic year and kicks off in March.