2 minute read
Legacy Grounded in Hard Work
Local Twins Excel at Tennessee State University
Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs) are known throughout the United States for their deep-rooted traditions and legacies. For Princesse Hawkins, a health science major, and her brother Shelton Hawkins, a mechanical engineering major, attending Tennessee State University (TSU) is no different as it is part of a family affair.
Both Princesse and Shelton’s parents and grandparents are TSU alums, so a continued education as legacy students at the beloved HBCU was always on their radar. However, the twins weren’t admitted on legacy alone. The Nashville natives worked hard for it, earning honor roll and principal’s list status in high school and GPAs worthy of being awarded the Community Foundation’s merit-based Teddy Wilburn Scholarship and the annual LadyAid Scholarship established by Grammy award-winning country music group Lady A.
The work ethic planted in them by their parents, that led to excellence in high school, catapulted them into success at the collegiate level, where they’ve grown their own roots and carved out legacies for themselves.
Princesse worked two jobs by choice, was an active member of the Student Election Commission in student government, and a member of the Alpha Psi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority all while maintaining a high enough GPA to graduate in the spring of 2023, Magna Cumm Laude. She plans to attend TSU for her doctorate in Physical Therapy in the fall.
Shelton continues to build his legacy entering his final year at TSU. Affecting and informing his peers through the Student Election Commission pushes him out of his comfort zone and is his greatest source of accomplishment.
Through it all, leaning into the HBCU and Nashville community that they are so deeply a part of is an experience the siblings don’t take for granted. The twins describe attending a local school as a way to stay grounded in family and friendship, and to recenter oneself.
“To attend an HBCU is a blessing,” says Shelton. “You really are family with your peers in your classroom. Everyone has lent a helping hand in my four years here, and I feel I wouldn’t get that anywhere else.”
