Spelman College English major Chandler R. Nutall, C’2023, was recently named a 2021 HBCU Competitiveness Scholar by the
White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Nutall will represent Spelman to the Initiative and attend meetings with senior members of the U.S. Department of Education and the White House during the 2021-2022 academic year. She will also engage in leadership, entrepreneurship, and workforce development opportunities.
Selected from an applicant pool of over 200 students, each scholar was endorsed by their institution’s president and chosen based on their academic achievement, campus and civic involvement, and ambitious spirit. An
Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Scholar, Nutall is actively pursuing her passion for academic and civic engagement as a
Social Justice Fellow and secretary of academic affairs for the Spelman Student Government Association. She is also secretary of the Honors Program Student Association and co-president of the National Council of Negro Women, Spelman College Section.
Before she began her matriculation at Spelman, Nutall earned her associate of arts degree from The George Washington University in 2019, one month before receiving her high school diploma. She spent the 2021 summer working as a political and campaigns intern with the
Emerson Collective, a for-profit corporation focused on education, immigration reform, the environment, media and journalism, and health. While there, Nutall explored her interests in political outreach and strategic project planning. Previously, she worked for The Education Trust, D.C. State Board of Education, and United States Agency for International Development.
A Washington D.C. native, Nutall is eager to embark upon her journey as an HBCU Competitiveness Scholar. She is confident it will expose her to new perspectives, enhance her leadership philosophy, and support not only her professional development, but personal development. Ultimately, her devotion to uplifting and empowering others inspires how she intends to utilize the resources of this program.
HBCU Competitiveness Scholars are charged with taking what they learn back to their communities to improve them. I take this very seriously as my personal and professional goals are rooted in my desire to pour into others
just as opportunities like this pour into me. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a bridge through which the resources of the Initiative can be brought to the Spelman community for the further development of my peers.
Nutall is interested in social entrepreneurship and creating more leadership opportunities for low-income students and students of color throughout the country so that they can become influential leaders for positive social change.
Visit the Competitiveness Scholars Program for more information.