Time Inc.’s ESSENCE Hosts ‘Reach Higher’ Panel with First Lady Michelle Obama to Kick Off Its Annual College Tour
COLUMBIA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative,
Time Inc.’s (NYSE:TIME) ESSENCE hosted a higher education panel during
her visit to Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. The
conversation kicks off the annual ESSENCE College Tour, which will visit
three campuses this fall and feature an exclusive Q&A video with the
First Lady talking about her own college experience and giving advice
for students and parents.
The panelists included Howard Community College President Kate
Heatherington, First Lady Michelle Obama, Howard Community College
student Trecya Jordan and Howard County General Hospital President Steve
Snelgrove. They fielded questions from an audience of 30 high school
seniors on topics ranging from choosing the right college to applying
for federal aid.
The First Lady emphasized that “Education is the best investment you can
make in your future…and it’s certain.” She added that “colleges aren’t
looking for the perfect student. Colleges are looking for your authentic
story…. Don’t be afraid to share your struggles. And don’t be afraid
to fail. It’s about how you bounce back. It’s about resilience.”
The 30-minute discussion was moderated by ESSENCE Features Editor Lauren
Williams and live-streamed on ESSENCE.com.
The ESSENCE College Tour is a platform to empower African-American
college students to lead successful, focused and healthy lives. The 2015
tour will hit three schools: Hampton University (October 16), Clark
Atlanta University (October 24) and University of Maryland (November 6).
The Reach Higher initiative is the First Lady’s effort to inspire every
student in America to take charge of their future by completing their
education past high school, whether in a professional training program,
at a community college, or at a four-year college or university. In
today’s economy, a high school diploma just isn’t enough. Students have
to “reach higher,” which is why the First Lady is working to rally the
country around the President’s “North Star” goal—that by 2020, America
will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the
world.
For more information, visit ESSENCE.com.
Join the conversation @essencemag on Twitter
and Instagram
and on Facebook
at #EssenceOnCampus and #ReachHigher.
ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company
dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in
publishing, live events and online. The company’s flagship publication,
ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for
African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the ESSENCE
Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in
Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, ESSENCE.com,
and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 45
years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of 14.2 million, has been the
leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions
relating to every area of African-American women’s lives. Additional
information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.
ABOUT TIME INC.
Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is one of the world’s leading media companies,
with a monthly global print audience of over 120 million and worldwide
digital properties that attract more than 140 million visitors each
month, including over 60 websites. Our influential brands include
People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Time, Real Simple, Southern Living,
Entertainment Weekly, Travel + Leisure, Cooking Light, Fortune and Food
& Wine, as well as more than 50 diverse titles in the United Kingdom
such as Decanter, Horse & Hound and Wallpaper*. Time Inc. is home to
celebrated franchises and events including the Fortune 500, Time 100,
People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year,
the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the Essence Festival and the biennial
Fortune Global Forum. Hundreds of thousands of people attend our events
every year. We have been extending the power of our brands through
various investments and acquisitions, including the formation of Sports
Illustrated Play, a new company devoted to youth and amateur sports, and
the acquisition of inVNT, a company that specializes in live media. We
also provide content marketing, targeted local print and digital
advertising programs, branded book publishing and marketing and support
services, including subscription sales services for magazines and other
products, retail distribution and marketing services and customer
service and fulfillment services, for ourselves and third-party clients,
including other magazine publishers.
Contacts
Essence Communications Inc.
Dana Baxter, 212-522-1634
DBaxter@Essence.com
