Comerica Bank Partners with National College Resources Foundation For Second Annual Detroit Black College Expo

Comerica Bank and the National College Resources Foundation (NCRF) have partnered to bring back the Detroit Black College Expo™ on Saturday, Sept. 24. The Expo will be held at Wayne State University Student Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the Expo going from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the after show from 3-5 p.m. This year’s one-day, in-person event provides opportunities for many high school students to have their college application fees waived – as well as chances to earn acceptance and receive scholarships to some colleges on the spot.

Comerica Bank partners with National College Resources Foundation for 2nd annual Detroit Black College Expo.

“The impact the National College Resources Foundation is having on our youth and college students is transformational,” said Linda Nosegbe, Comerica Bank’s vice president and national community impact manager. “The Black College Expo™ in Detroit last year opened access and connected participants to post-secondary institutions and critical financial resources. We are honored to once again partner with the NCRF and enrich this year’s expo and the seminar’s expansive workshops.”

The Detroit Black College Expo™ offers student attendees and their families access to college information and a chance to explore post-high school opportunities in an up-close and personal setting.

Seminars include: “How to Find Money for College,” “Boomin’ Careers,” “Why Attend an HBCU,” “The 411 for the Student Athlete,” “How to Think and Grow Rich,” “How to Start a Business,” “Real Talk–College vs High School,” and “How to Get A’s in English moderated by NCRF Celebrity Ambassador Hip Hop Legend Yo-Yo.”

The Detroit Black College Expo™ is free to attend and is open to K-12 students and families throughout the Midwest. Those interested in attending can register here.

The History of the Black College Expo™

NCRF was founded in 1999. The nonprofit hosted first Black College Expo™ in 2000 in California with over 35,000 people in attendance. Black College Expo™ is a college access event that highlights Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) and other postsecondary institutions to provide admissions, scholarship information and resources to its attendees. NCRF’s mission is to curtail the high school dropout rate and increase degree and/or certificate enrollment among underserved, underrepresented, at-risk, low resource, homeless and foster students.

“We are excited to partner with Comerica Bank,” said Dr. Theresa Price, founder and chief executive officer of NCRF. “It so refreshing to work with corporations that share the same values and beliefs as NCRF. Together we are working together to close the gap in educational achievement, workforce, and economic disparities. We know that events like the Detroit Black College Expo™ bring hope and opportunities to our community.”

NCRF connects students to positive post-secondary pursuits – providing resources and services to help students prepare for, enroll in and graduate from a degree and certificate program. It continues to work toward its vision to close the gap in educational achievement, workforce, and economic disparities with the goal to end racism and racial inequality – and, to date, NCRF has:

• Hosted more than 200 college expos nationwide, including 49 virtual events during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Helped more than 600,000 students get into college.
• Yielded a 100% graduation rate among Black students (93% for all students) in their Movement Enrichment Program.
• Secured a 95% success rate of its scholarship winners completing college.
• Helped over 1,500 athletes with athletic scholarships.
• Placed more than 1,200 college students and graduates into internships and careers.
• Secured more than 1.5 billion dollars in scholarships and grants for students.

Comerica Bank’s partnership with NCRF is the latest in a storied history of alliances with Black and minority-owned businesses and nonprofits nationwide to provide financial education, small business support, pandemic relief and more. Over the past three years, Comerica Bank has:

• Moved $15 million in deposits to Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) across the country. This includes allocating $2.5 million to First Independence Bank, the only MDI located in Michigan.
• Developed strong partnerships with 35 CDFIs, viewed as the most impactful investments to address the needs of communities Comerica serves.
• Bolstered Comerica Money $ense financial educations sessions with nonprofits for adults, seniors, and youth (from pre-k to young adults). Over 50,000 individuals took part in Comerica’s financial education sessions in 2021, which increased 45% over 2020.
• Launched Comerica’s Business $ense bootcamp series with community partners. In 2021, 380 small business bootcamps were hosted across all markets, assisting over 17,000 small businesses.
• Committed $5 billion nationwide over a three-year period (2021-23) to support small business lending and growth.