Livingstone College News Service

SALISBURY — Livingstone College has two students who have been selected as ambassadors for the 2025-2026 Black Student Leadership Network (BSLN) Fellowship, hosted by the Children’s Defense Fund.

Mia Mason, a music major from Salisbury, and Joel Thompson, a computer information systems major from Ghana, will join more than 100 students from multiple HBCUs throughout the nation in efforts to nurture the next generation of Black servant-leaders.

Mason is excited about working with an organization committed to mentoring, supporting and uplifting students. She said, “I am looking forward to the interactive training on organizing and gaining skills to develop strategic initiatives to implement on campus. As a campus leader, it is important to me to build a community of support among peers.”

This year’s cohort will engage in a variety of training courses that focus on leadership development, organizational skills, advocacy and policy interpretation and production, as they kick off their experience with a retreat at the Freedom Schools National Leadership Training Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, from June 4-7.

“I am humbly excited about this opportunity,” Thompson said. “As a Ghana native, America’s rich history of advocacy and social justice has intrigued me to grow more and want to serve others. I plan to infuse the skills and knowledge I acquire as an Interfaith America ambassador and a BSLN ambassador for the common greater good of our mosaic world.”

As BSLN provides opportunities to center and amplify young people’s voices in efforts to shape a brighter tomorrow for their generation and the generations to follow, the organization aims to provide financial support, training resources and community engagement/building opportunities to college-aged organizers, equipping them to become advocates for justice, equity, opportunity and well-being on their campuses and in their local communities.

Under the operational arms of the Children Defense Fund, BSLN endeavors to guide the nation towards a future where young people are provided every opportunity to thrive. To learn more about the program, go to https://www.childrensdefense.org/our-work/building-a-movement-for-youth/black-student-leadership-network/.