A personal appeal from Nate Jenkins — Wilberforce University Class of 1981 

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a young man — first in his family, no roadmap, no mentor, no blueprint. No one in his world had ever sat in a corporate boardroom or worn a badge at a Fortune 10 company. That world did not exist for him. It was not even a dream he knew he was allowed to dream.

That young man was me.

And then — Wilberforce University happened and changed everything.

Wilberforce didn’t just hand me a degree. It poured into me. It gave me confidence that I didn’t have. It expanded my thinking beyond what I knew. It showed me a world that was bigger, bolder, and more accessible than I ever thought possible.

The discipline I learned at Wilberforce. The exposure. The professors and administrators who saw something in me that I did not see in myself. The community of Wilberforceans who refused to let me settle. All of it — I mean all of it — was the foundation that carried me through the doors of ExxonMobil, and into a career and life that exceeded anything I could have ever imagined.

I grew up with no business or corporate role models. None. And yet here I stand — not in spite of where I came from, but because of where Wilberforce took me.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

— Luke 12:48

I do not simply read this verse. I live by it. Every single day. It is not a burden — it is a privilege. Because to whom much is given, much has already proven possible. Wilberforce proved it for me. Now I owe it to the next generation to prove it to them.

In 1856, Wilberforce University was born into a world that did not want it to exist. It was founded in defiance. It has been sustained through prayer. And it was built on a belief so radical for its time that it still echoes today:

That Black excellence is not the exception. It is the standard.

For 168 years, Wilberforce has answered a calling greater than itself. When others doubted, it stood. When the odds mounted, it rose. Generation after generation, it has transformed ordinary young people to become extraordinary leaders — in business, medicine, law, education, government, and beyond.

This is a legacy built on the prayers and sacrifices of those who came before us. It is sacred. And it must be protected.

Why I Give — And Why I am Asking You To

I don’t give out of obligation alone. I give because I have seen with my own eyes what a Wilberforce education can do. I give because I am living proof. And I give because right now, today, there is a student who is exactly where I was — full of potential, short on resources, and desperately in need of someone who believes in them.

• I give because it works. Without the confidence and exposure Wilberforce gave me, I would not have had the courage to walk into Corporate America and thrive. My career. My family’s future. My sense of self. All of it traces back to that campus.

• I give because someone invested in me. Actually, many someone’s — made it possible for me to attend, to grow, to become. That investment has compounded over a lifetime. I owe it to the next student, our future generation to do the same.

• I give because this legacy must be honored. 168 years of history, sacrifice, and answered prayers deserve to be protected. Every dollar we give says: this place matters. These students matter. This mission endures.

• I give to be part of someone else’s story. Somewhere on that campus right now is a young person who grew up without a road map — just like I did. Your gift is the moment everything changes for them. You may never meet them. But they will carry you with them for the rest of their lives.

Think about the moment Wilberforce opened a door for you. A professor who saw you. A class that stretched you. A connection that started your career. A degree that said to the world: this person is ready. That moment was made possible because someone gave.

Now it is your turn.

The student waiting on your gift may become a CEO. An engineer. A teacher. A senator. A mother or father who raises the next generation differently because of what Wilberforce made possible. Your gift does not just change one life. It changes every life that life will touch.

“Give because it works.

Give because it matters.

Give because the prayers that built Wilberforce

are still being answered — and your gift is one of them.”

With so much gratitude. Blessings. 

Nate Jenkins
Wilberforce University, Class of 1981
Senior Corporate Executive · ExxonMobil (Fortune 10)
Chairman, Board of Trustees — Wilberforce University

To give to Wilberforce University visit Wilberforce.edu.