By Ashley Benkarski
NASHVILLE, TN — Terrence Jenkins, known as Terrence J, is an actor and journalist who has been partnering with Chevrolet as an Ambassador for their Discover the Unexpected program for the last three years, a position he embraces wholeheartedly.
The program is a partnership between Chevy and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) that connects selected HBCU students with Black-owned publications through a 10-week, hybrid-virtual journalism fellowship. The students are given a $10,000 scholarship and an $8,000 stipend as they travel throughout the nation in a Chevy Trax provided by the auto manufacturer to seek out and produce engaging stories important to the communities they’ll be working in.
“It’s always great to work with students at this age that are right on the verge of discovering their dreams and finding out what they’re really, truly passionate about,” he said. “This program is near and dear to my heart, and I’m very excited to be back . . . When companies like GM do programs like this, this is not just throwing money at a problem. It’s not just a big company donating money to an HBCU and saying, ‘Here, go figure it out.’ This is them investing the time along with putting people in place that can really help these students.”
Through his ambassadorship Jenkins acts not only as the program’s public promoter but also as a mentor for the student participants, offering the wisdom he’s gained throughout his personal and professional life.
“I feel that the road to success is not a linear one,” Jenkins said. “There’s a lot of pit stops along the way, and throughout my career I’ve worn many hats. From being in front of the camera to behind the camera, from being a businessman and entrepreneur to being an on-camera talent, and I feel like all of that experience gives me things that I can help the students with. [They] have a lot of different ambitions and I’m able to speak to them in a lot of different ways. I’m very grateful for all of my experiences because I’m able to use it to help them . . .These fellows are some of the best and brightest in the country, and it was a lot of fun getting to know them.”
Jenkins is an HBCU alum himself, having graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in mass communication. It was this experience that Jenkins credits for his success.
“When I was coming out of high school, I applied to a bunch of different institutions and an HBCU took a chance on me,” he recalled. “Coming from an HBCU gave me the nurturing that I needed, and I’m not sure I would have gotten that somewhere else— That one-on-one attention that I really needed to get on the right path. So I always like to support HBCU students in the same way. I’m just happy to be in this position now to lend my voice to help them on the path to their dreams.”
Of course, Jenkins’s experience is not unusual; HBCUs have been and continue to be a crucial lifeline to higher education for the nation’s most underserved students.
“From the beginning of higher education institutions in America, HBCUs were there for Black and Brown students to provide that education when other institutions wouldn’t,” he continued. “The door was closed on us in a lot of different ways, and HBCUs for over 100 years have been putting the best nurses out into the hospitals, putting the best teachers into the classrooms, creating those opportunities for Black and Brown architects and engineers, in all types of different fields. So now our role is more important than ever; in a world where diversity is such a topic of discussion, HBCUs continue to do amazing work.”
Jenkins said that good mentors must possess a few key qualities: transparency, openness, and honesty. As a mentor, he said, it’s important to teach students “the real deal” on what they can expect in the workplace, going beyond skills taught in the classroom.
“These students are facing challenges that we never faced,” he said. “My advice to them is to really focus in on what they’re passionate about. The biggest thing is to not settle . . . Don’t chase money, don’t chase things that you feel will help you get paid. Chase things that you love and that you’re passionate about. When you’re coming out of college, it’s so important to stay focused on those things because it’s so easy to get distracted by the others.”
He added, “It’s very important to always be curious, to always know that any room that you walk into can be an opportunity for you to leave in a better position and for you to leave better.”
“These students just started their journey this summer and they’re going to be driving across the country, so I’m just really excited for them to discover the unexpected,” Jenkins said. “This program is out there. If you know young people that are in an HBCU, please apply for it next year. We appreciate the support.”
To stay informed about next year’s fellowship application, visit https://www.nnpa.org/chevydtu/contact/.
