Howard University Student Surprised With $15,000 Gift from Restauranteur in Honor of HBCU Homecoming Season [Video]

A Howard University student was awarded $15,000 on “Good Morning America” in honor of HBCU homecoming season courtesy of Nouveau Creations.

Micheal Wright III appeared on the morning show alongside host Micheal Strahan, where he spoke about Howard and how its homecoming celebrations are much different than others. Wright called the festivities “the epitome of black culture.”

“People take time off school to travel to the Mecca, Howard University to experience the step show, the fashion show, yard fest, the tailgate, and the football game. So when you do all of that, there’s nothing like a Howard homecoming,” Wright explained. 

During the chat, Wright’s mentor and Nouveau Creations founder and restauranteur, Ebony Austin joined them on stage along with members of Howard’s band. Once seated next to the Howard senior, she handed him a gift basket with the generous donation, which left Wright stunned. 

“I wanna give you $15,000, and this is from my Nouveau grit line. Everyone knows that Nouveau is my heart, and I poured so much into this grit line. All of the proceeds we make from our grits go to HBCU students. So when you buy a bag of grits, the community helps our students,” she said to a Wright. 

Wright received his award as Howard’s homecoming comes to a close, officially concluding on October 23rd. The gift was extremely generous, especially as college tuition costs soar. In January 2023, Fox DC shared that over 200 Howard students alone were turning to GoFundMe to help cover their school costs. Thankfully, donors such as Austin help ensure that students have the funds needed to continue their education.

Ebony’s Nouveau Creations by Nouveau Bar & Grill grits line initiative aims to support HBCU students by contributing 100% of all proceeds to scholarships, making higher education more accessible to aspiring scholars. The line is available in 45 Food Lion stores throughout Georgia.