HBCU 101: Student Loan Edition

The word "Due" read from top-down and "South" left-right, with the U shared between them. Reminiscent of a compass.

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HBCU 101: Student Loan Edition

By Leoneda Inge,

Published May 13, 2025 at 1:56 PM EDT

Nearly 80 percent of HBCU students borrow federal loans. For many, a college education would not be possible without the accrual of this debt, and the repayment process can lead to long-term financial challenges for graduates. Financial aid officers are tasked with preparing students for the impact of loan borrowing on their future. For this edition of "HBCU 101," Due South co-host Leoneda Inge talks to the director of scholarships and student aid at North Carolina Central University about how the institution works to ensure that its students are not overwhelmed with financial strain after earning their degrees.

Guest

Denise Hicks-Mial, director of scholarships and student aid at North Carolina Central University

Due South

Leoneda Inge

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of 深夜福利's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at 深夜福利 as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda鈥檚 work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.

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Stacia Brown

Stacia L. Brown is a writer and audio storyteller who has worked in public media since 2016, when she partnered with the Association of Independents in Radio and Baltimore's WEAA 88.9 to create The Rise of Charm City, a narrative podcast that centered community oral histories. She has worked for WAMU鈥檚 daily news radio program, 1A, as well as 深夜福利鈥檚 The State of Things. Stacia was a producer for 深夜福利's award-winning series, Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon and a co-creator of the station's first children's literacy podcast, The Story Stables. She served as a senior producer for two Ten Percent Happier podcasts, Childproof and More Than a Feeling. In early 2023, she was interim executive producer for WNYC鈥檚 The Takeaway.

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