Hampton University’s Annual A Plus Program Teaches Aviation and Journey of Self-Exploration

HAMPTON, Va. (July 16, 2019) – Hampton University hosted the annual A+ Program sponsored by the Freddye T. Davy Honors College from Tuesday, June 30th until Friday, July 5th.

The A+ Summer Program is a weeklong residential program designed for 8th – 11th grade students who want to engage in an adventurous and exciting learning experience.

This year’s theme: TAKE FLIGHT: SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS, engaged participants in the various facets of the field of aviation and a journey of self-exploration, growth and evaluation.

“The goal of the program is to expose younger students to HBCU culture and Hampton University’s campus culture. We show them a pretty vast breath of career opportunities to get them engaged in things they might not have been necessarily engaged in,” said Dr. Rikesha L. Fry Brown, Director of the Freddye T. Davy Honors College and the A+ Program. “This program has a goal to give back to our community, but interestingly, this year, we had a total of thirty students from New Jersey, Chicago, Tennessee, Seattle, and of course, Virginia.”

Each year, the A+ Program is hosted by a different department on Hampton University’s campus. This year, it was hosted by two departments: the Hampton University School of Engineering and Technology, and the Department of Aviation. The program helped students gain knowledge through various facets of aviation career opportunities.

“Along with personal development, we also had an instruction in yoga, violin and music. Both of those classes were taught by Hampton alumna, Khalilah Miles, who is our yoga instructor and Megan Jennifer Harris who is the violin instructor,” said Dr. Fry Brown. “Dr. Williams taught the self-development, take flight section of the course. We did field trips every day to places such as Norfolk International Airport, the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, the Virginia Air and Space Center and Water Country USA.”

“This is my second year working with the A+ Program. With the short time I’ve had with the students this year, it seems like they’ve taken a hold of some of the yoga concepts we’ve gone over. Yoga is important for a few different reasons. It helps people tune into their bodies, teaching them to pay attention to their breathing and to slow down, breathing consciously,” said Yoga Instructor, Khalilah Miles (’03). “That same practice can be transferred off of their yoga mat into their everyday life when they deal with stressful situations. Many of the students have been extremely receptive. This is an amazing program and Dr. Fry Brown has done a great job with students and the activities that they have and the services that have been provided. I can’t wait to send my son to this program when he’s old enough.”

To learn more about Hampton University’s A+ Program, contact Dr. Rikesha L. Fry Brown or Mrs. Juanita Sears, Coordinator of Honors Activities at 757-727-5076.