CINCINNATI —It’s the last celebration left of its kind and it’s now underway in Ohio. Cincinnati’s black family reunion just started with a round of college tours.

What You Need To Know

  • Forty Cincinnati area high school students got on a charter bus and went on a tour of four different area colleges and universities 
  • Students learned about everything from student life to financial aid and college scholarships 
  • The college tours are a part of the 35th annual Black Family Reunion, a celebration that also helps provide resources to families of color 

High school student Zion Dennard has career goals.

“I wanna be like an obstetrical nurse,” said Dennard. 

She’s still on the fence about college goals.

“It’s the start of the 12th grade year and I still got time to decide where I wanna go,” said Dennard.

It’s part of the reason why she came with a group of about 40 Cincinnati area high school students who are taking tours of local colleges and universities.

“What we hope that they get out of it is that their mindset may change. some students are unsure as to what field they want to go into for college. some students don’t even know if they want to go to college, but this is an opportunity to inform them of their options,” said Kimberly Huckleby, Black Family Reunion’s college tour organizer. 

For the first time, Huckleby organized the tours as a part of Cincinnati’s Black Family Reunion. It’s a 35-year-long celebration that’s also helping provide resources for families of color.

“It’s extremely important for students of color and various communities only because a lot of them are first-generation college students. So helping them along the way, giving them that additional push and support, and also connecting them directly to the colleges,” said Huckleby. 

The high schoolers took a charter bus to four Cincinnati colleges and learned about everything from financial aid and scholarships to life on campus. It’s something that might just be the deciding factor Dennard for as she and her fellow students plan for the future.

“Just to give me a stronger confirmation of what I wanna do,” said Dennard. 

The college tours mark just the beginning of Cincinnati’s Black Family Reunion. There will be events all weekend, from concerts to a parade on Saturday.

The events will happen from Aug. 17th through the 20th.