During a study abroad trip to Bahia, Brazil, EHE students were determined to find out why so few Afro-Brazilian teenagers enter college.

“Many students were not adequately prepared during high school,” said Natosha Willis, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Studies. Willis attended the Higher Education in Brazil: Access, Equity and Opportunity program last year.

While abroad, she and the other EHE students gained a global perspective on the education system by visiting several schools and speaking to students and faculty members about college life.

Factors such as socioeconomic status, inadequate resources and affordability still hold Afro-Brazilian students back.

“This study abroad trip was truly a life-changing experience,” said Morris Council III, also a doctoral candidate in educational studies. “It will forever alter the way that I think about access and equity.”

The trip was led by Distinguished Professor of Urban Education James L. Moore III, professor of counselor education.