WASHINGTON — Four Howard University students will participate in the 2019 Forbes Under 30 Summit scheduled Oct. 27-30 in Detroit, Michigan. As Forbes Under 30 Scholars, Alyiah Ellsworth, Shaunelle Thomas, Shaundice Thomas, and Marcus McCollum will join other young leaders for the four-day interactive summit featuring talks, performances and demos from top leaders in business, tech, policy, and entertainment. 

“We are proud to announce that a distinguished group of Howard University students have been named Forbes Under 30 Scholars,” says Howard University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony Wutoh. “They have already demonstrated the determination, skill and commitment that it takes to become successful leaders in business and technology. This opportunity will certainly help them take the next step.”

The list of speakers at the Summit includes top performers and executives in music, sports, entertainment, technology, restaurants and fashion. One of the sessions includes a lunch with world famous athlete and Olympic gold medal tennis player Serena Williams. Complete with 20 industry-specific content tracks, pitch competitions, music festival and a founder’s forum, the Summit will provide Howard students with a unique opportunity to network and discover industry insights.

The four Howard students named as scholars are leaders on campus who are working toward degrees that will position them for successful careers in entrepreneurship and technology. Additionally, these students are leaders on and off campus and have a track record of success in academics, entrepreneurship, and community service.

“This summit will grant me the opportunity to network with and become inspired by the success of other young influencers of color who are challenging the status quo; who are trailblazing in their fields; who are disrupting industries with their innovations; who are defining the future and not hiding from it; and most importantly, who are taking strides to improve the current state of our world,” said Ellsworth.

For the past six years, Forbes has been providing an opportunity for entrepreneurially-minded, underrepresented college students to attend this Summit in hopes of increasing diversity. The interactive summit also includes an Under 30 Stage, Industry Networking Sessions, Immersive Detroit Field Trips, Under 30 Bar Crawl and Community Service Day.

Information on the Howard University Forbes Under 30 Scholars is listed below:

Alyiah Ellsworth

Ellsworth is a senior marketing major from Prince George's County, Maryland. A natural creator and innovator, she has participated in several pitch competitions, acted as a global business consultant to the University of Ghana in the School of Business Global Trilateral MBA Program, and interns at the DC Small Business Development Center on Howard’s campus.

Shaunelle Thomas

Thomas is a senior computer science student from Buxton, Guyana. Passionate about the fusion of technology, business and creativity, Thomas was a Google Tech Exchange Scholar where she participated in a nine-month immersive computer science program. She is also a recipient of the Microsoft Tuition Scholarship and has participated in the Above & Beyond Computer Science Software Engineering Fellowship at Facebook.

Shaundice Thomas

Thomas is a junior computer science major from Buxton, Guyana. She is currently participating in a domestic exchange program at Stanford University. Thomas is an alumna of the Google Computer Science Summer Institute and two-time Grace Hopper Scholarship recipient. She was a Deloitte Stem Summit Scholar and participated in the National Leadership Conference at Deloitte. She was one of 125 finalists chosen as an HBCU@SXSW 2018 cohort member.

Marcus McCollum

McCollum is a junior electrical engineering major at Howard University where he’s served as vice president and president of the National Society of Black Engineers, Howard Chapter. He serves as the chief networking officer of T.R.U.S.T: A Society For Men. McCollum volunteered with Howard’s Alternative Spring Break program to assist with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. He traveled to Seattle for the Sophomore Immersion Program with The Boeing Company and Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

For more information about the Forbes Under 30 Summit, visit https://live.forbes.com/under30.

# # #

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 70 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media Contact: Misha Cornelius, misha.cornelius@howard.edu