The Q&A portion drew some of the afternoon’s most resonant moments. On persevering through sickle cell, he credited faith, community, and intentional relationships.

“You’ve got to have deep faith [and] surround yourself with love,” he said. “There’s nothing like having confidence instilled in you, and the best way for that to happen is to have people around you [who] truly love you.”

On imposter syndrome, he affirmed what many students feel in their first weeks on campus: “That imposter syndrome is real.” His counsel: Define your own goals early and stick to them. He relayed a story about how, in his first days on campus, he was mistaken for a child in comparison to his soccer goalkeeper best friend.

“I’m never going to be six foot four, I’m never going to play professional soccer, but I knew I wanted to become a physician,” Frederick said. “I was able to do those things because I had my own focus.”

Students also asked about protest and campus climate. Frederick was unequivocal about students’ right to dissent.

“I simply don’t discourage students from protesting.” He added that while he is “always going to be concerned about the brand,” that concern does not negate students’ responsibility to raise their voices when they believe change is necessary. “We want people to give feedback,” he said, “and we want people to feel good.”

As a Caribbean student who made Howard his home, Frederick encouraged international students to immerse themselves in the full tapestry of the Howard experience.

“If there was a place you could come and learn about the Black American experience, this was the best place,” he said. “I would encourage the international students to really understand the Black American experience, and the best way to do that is to make sure that you interact with it for a variety of your classmates as possible.”

Forecasting ahead, he outlined several interim presidential priorities shaped by what he called a clear-eyed assessment of the past two weeks. Chief among them: strengthening university finances to accelerate investments in residence life and academic facilities. Long-term, he reiterated a commitment to affordability for high-need students, describing philanthropy and endowment growth as the engine to get there.

“We’ve got to be out raising money so that you can be here doing what you do, and that is just being excellent.”

Before closing, Frederick left the Class of 2029 with practical advice: show up, stretch, and sample the breadth of Howard. He confessed he missed too many campus moments as a student, from Opening Convocation to marquee speakers.

“I would really encourage you to experience as much of this as possible,” he said. “Go listen to something you never thought you’d listen to. Go to a club that you think you have no interest in, and you’d be surprised — you find out something about yourself.”