As Told To Corey Townsend

Hailing from Pennsylvania, by way of Haiti, Jacob Bellevue is a freshman studying television and film at Howard University. In 1996, his parents migrated to America for a family emergency and stayed so that they could provide the best possible life for Jacob and his sisters. During the pandemic, the 18-year-old has been on a journey to make sure he is purposeful in the ways in which he shows up for those he loves.

I’m a first-generation Haitian American, so education has always been an important part of my upbringing. Knowing this, I knew I had to attend the best college, so in the eighth grade I decided that I wanted to attend Howard University. The pandemic almost snatched this dream away from me because I became lackadaisical with my studies, and lost my overall drive to complete my tasks.

Jacob Bellevue
Courtesy Jacob Bellevue
Jacob Bellevue

Due to my perceived lack of effort, I thought attending Howard was out of reach. I was prepared to take my “L,” and set my sights on attending other schools in my area. Again, being a child of immigrants, failure wasn’t an option, and education was a must. Even while I was applying to local colleges, there was still some semblance of hope that Howard was my destiny. I took a break from scrolling on TikTok, and randomly checked my email, and there was the acceptance that I thought I was never going to see. Howard University sent me an email welcoming me to the class of 2025. A dream I’ve had since the eighth grade became reality, and life made sense once again.

After I got to the campus, I felt my identity constantly reaffirmed. Howard was the mecca of all things Black. Growing up, I was always around people that looked like me, and never questioned my identity, but something about attending an HBCU was like a “spiritual baptism in Blackness.” Meeting Black people from various walks of life, knowing that we’re all here to succeed, continues to be a constant source of inspiration for me. It makes me feel like I can do better and be better. My friends are a melting pot of excellences; the likes of which fuel my creative juices to continue to flow.

Howard University
Courtesy Jacob Bellevue
Howard University

I’m majoring in TV and film because I never grew up seeing stories I related to displayed on my screen. I was always bombarded with the same stereotypical images, and I wanted to be a part of something that is continuing to change that narrative. I am tired of seeing cliché stories that are constantly being force-fed to us. We are not a monolith. We live a range of experiences that deserve to be placed at the forefront of what we see on television and film. There is no cookie-cutter way to tell our stories. I want to continue the work such artists like Issa Rae, Spike Lee and Jordan Peele have started. These are my idols, and the people I feel “get it” when it comes to telling Black stories. They remind me that there is authenticity in everyone’s Black experience.

Going to college during a pandemic has been an interesting experience, to say the least. During this time, I have learned how to roll with the punches and adapt to the current climate. I find it annoying when I hear, “You’re missing out on the college experience,” because I feel that is a belief that is rooted in projection based on another’s lived experiences. It’s my belief that we have to let go of what we knew to be the “norm,” and move forward with a new way of thinking. If we don’t do that, I believe that we won’t ever grow and truly enjoy the moments that we’re being given. So, no, I am not missing out on the college experience. I am making my own, and making the best of the cards I was dealt.

Overall, I just want to be around people who make me happy. When I was in high school I was figuring life out, now that I am in college I am in the process of learning, and one day I hope to apply these lessons to become the man that I’ve dreamed of since I was a child.