ARTS & EDUCATION HBCU ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED

Honda will bring together more than 200 students and coaches from 32 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), with the in-person return of the 34th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), America's premier academic competition for HBCU students. Hosted on the American Honda corporate campus in Torrance, Calif., HCASC is the only program of its kind and provides a national stage for high-achieving HBCU students to advance their dreams. The HCASC National Championship finals can be watched at 3:00 p.m. PT on April 20-21 at HCASC.com

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is a year-round program that celebrates Black excellence and showcases the academic talents of top HBCU students from across the country. Four-student teams from each participating school face off in head-tohead competition and must quickly answer questions about history, science, literature, religion, math, the arts, pop culture, and sports. HCASC challenges students to expand their scope of knowledge on a wide range of topics, with the opportunity to gain lifelong learning skills, including leadership, collaboration, and sportsmanship.

Based on the theme "Friends for Life," participating students have the opportunity to build camaraderie with students from other HBCUs and gain mentorship opportunities with HCASC alumni. Additionally, Honda offers development seminars to help prepare students for success after graduation.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HCASC was held virtually in 2021 and 2022. This year's HCASC theme, "Driving the Legacy," celebrates the rich history and unique experience of HBCUs and aims to inspire students to create the life they envision for themselves. Honda created HCASC as a platform to help students pursue their dreams and annually provides more than $400,000 in institutional grants to all participating HBCUs, in addition to providing travel, meals and accommodations for the 32 teams. The winning school will receive a $75,000 institutional grant from Honda "Honda supports HBCUs because we believe they play a unique and critical role in society and in developing the next generation of leaders," said Yvette Hunsicker, Vice

Honda also has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF to provide scholarship funding to support HBCU students pursuing an education in engineering, supply chain management, and manufacturing-related fields.

The 2023 HCASC participating HBCUs are: Alabama A&M University, Alabama

of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, University-District of Columbia, Virginia State University, Winston-Salem State University

For over 30 years, Honda has supported the success and dreams of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students through initiatives including the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge and Honda Battle of the Bands. These programs provide unforgettable experiences and opportunities for HBCU students, including meeting and networking with peers from other HBCU schools. Honda has impacted the lives of more than 200,000 students and awarded over $14 million in grants in support of HBCU education programs and facilities improvements. To advance its leading investment in HBCUs, Honda is a member of the HBCU Partnership Challenge, a Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus initiative that brings together government, industry, and HBCUs to create strategic, more sustainable HBCU partnerships. Honda also has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to provide annual scholarship funding to support HBCU students pursuing an education in engineering, supply chain management, and manufacturing-related fields.

President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion & Diversity at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Beyond the gameplay, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is truly a one-of-a-kind program that has provided multiple generations of HBCU students with unforgettable experiences to meet and bond with their peers from different schools."

In addition to HCASC, Honda's support of HBCUs includes Honda Battle of the Bands, the nation's premiere showcase for HBCU marching bands and dance teams, which returned to live format in February and was held for the first time on an HBCU campus at Alabama State University

State University, Albany State University, Benedict College, Bowie State University, Central State University, Cheyney University-Pennsylvania, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Florida

A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Kentucky State University, Langston University, Lincoln University-Pennsylvania, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Oakwood University, Prairie View A&M University, Shaw University, Southern University-Baton Rouge, Spelman College, Stillman College, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, University

Learn more at https://www.honda.com/ community/diversity-reports.

For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its customers and associates live and work. Honda's mission is to create products and services that improve lives while conducting business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Advancing its corporate social responsibility, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation support this direction through giving focused on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community.

BOWIE STATE UNVEIlS Dionne Warwick Theater

Music icon Dionne Warwick graced a private function at Café Milano in Georgetown to benefit Bowie State University as a prelude to the unveiling of the newly named Dionne Warwick Theater in the Fine and Performing Arts Center at BSU.

The fundraising dinner, hosted by Franco Nuschese, owner of Café Milano and

President of the Georgetown Entertainment Group LLC., and Donald Hoffman, President and CEO of EXCEL Services Corporation, allowed Ms. Warwick to introduce some of her friends to BSU and the efforts of our performing arts program to cultivate future artists.

Among the special guests were Doug E.

Fresh and gospel singer BeBe Winans, along with CNN’s Abby Phillip, host of Inside Politics Sunday, as the program emcee. Ms. Warwick sang a few of her classic hits and BeBe Winans also performed. President Aminta Breaux and other key persons from BSU were also in attendance. The fundraiser set the stage for the hundreds of Dionne Warwick fans and supporters who gathered at the Fine and Performing Arts Center the following day for the unveiling of the Dionne Warwick Theater. It is the only performing arts venue in the world that bears her name. The program featured BSU fine arts students honoring Ms. Warwick by performing several of her hit songs. BeBe Winans also sang Amazing Grace to mark the occasion.

A host of other celebrities, which included Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen and Tom Selleck among others, also honored Warwick through video messages. The connection between Warwick and Bowie State, the first HBCU in Maryland, has been cemented. The Dionne Warwick Theater is now poised to host concerts, plays and other performances with her name elevating the venue to another level.

 About BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY

Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu