From School to Service: My Journey from Milwaukee to a HBCU to Northwestern Mutual

Scholarship America is proud to administer Northwestern Mutual’s Hometown HBCU Connection Scholarship, which supports students from schools near the company’s Milwaukee headquarters.

Today, we invite you to meet Hometown HBCU Connection Scholar Savion Jarvis, who is turning his passion for service into a future career through scholarship support and internship opportunities with Northwestern Mutual.

Growing up in Milwaukee, I saw firsthand how education, mentorship and community support can shape a young person’s future. Through experiences that encouraged me to serve and engage with my community, I observed the difference that invested mentors and strong community partnerships could make in my own life and in the lives of students across my city.

Those experiences stayed with me when it came time to make one of the biggest decisions of my life—where to go to college. I wanted a university that would challenge me academically while strengthening my commitment to making a difference in my community. That led me to North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and to being selected for Northwestern Mutual’s inaugural Hometown HBCU Scholarship Program.

Through the scholarship I’ve received financial support, along with mentorship, professional development, and the opportunity to explore career paths that helped me envision new possibilities for my future. It also introduced me to a cohort of other Milwaukee students doing the same: learning, growing, and carrying their city with them wherever they go.

Since enrolling at NCCU, I’ve declared a Political Science major, been part of leadership development programs like the Yale Moral Fusion Scholars Program and met many students who also are leading with purpose. Now, I’m spending my summer back in Milwaukee as a Government and Community Relations Intern at Northwestern Mutual.

My internship has given me the chance to get a closer look at how community investment, volunteerism and nonprofit partnerships create meaningful opportunities for individuals and neighborhoods. It’s also helped me explore a question that has shaped many of my professional aspirations: how can institutions become more responsible participants in the communities they serve?

My journey from Milwaukee to NCCU, from a scholarship recipient to Northwestern Mutual intern, has reminded me that sometimes the path becomes clear only after you begin walking it. For me, that path has been defined by alignment: between my values and my education, between my academic interests and my professional experiences, and between my desire to serve communities and the opportunities I have been given.

I am still learning where this journey will lead. But I know that wherever I go, I will carry with me the lesson that the greatest measure of success is not simply what we accomplish for ourselves, but what we are willing to do in service to others.

Interested in a scholarship with Northwestern Mutual or becoming an intern? Visit NorthwesternMutual.com. Looking for more scholarships from Scholarship America? Check out our Browse Scholarships listing.