The 2022–2023 CHFP Fellows and Honorees carried forward a legacy of excellence — planting seeds in research, justice, and belonging.

In the inaugural year of the CISC HBCU Fellowship, 8 Fellows and 4 Honorees from 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities were selected to chart a new course for food systems leadership. They are masters and doctoral students — seed keepers of Black land histories, frontline thinkers in sustainability science, and stewards of rural and urban resilience. Across 6 disciplines and 7 HBCUs, they pushed their academic and activist work into new terrain.

Supported by the Carver Integrative Sustainability Center at Tuskegee University and in partnership with the Inter-Institutional Network for Food, Agriculture and Sustainability (INFAS), this pilot cohort received financial support, dedicated mentorship, and opportunities to present at national stages like the Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC), where all travel was covered by the program.

From soil to scholarship, these students showed what it means to rise together. One of our Honorees, Chinedu Ahuchaogu of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, placed third in the Gamma Sigma Delta Student Research Competition — a powerful reflection of the caliber and commitment of the entire cohort.

With a 29.6% acceptance rate and a 44% rate of additional scholarship recognition across Fellows and Honorees, the program established a high bar from the start. But more than numbers, this cohort made visible what’s possible when Black graduate students are resourced, rooted, and recognized in the work of transforming food systems.

In a time that demands grounded vision and courageous scholarship, the 2022–2023 CHFP cohort didn’t just answer the call — they redefined it.