Three Morgan Bears Earn Nationally Competitive Fellowships Opening Doors Beyond the Classroom

From Harvard Research Laboratories to the NBA's Front Offices, Distinguished National Fellowships Transform Academic Excellence into Professional Opportunity

For three Morgan State University students, one currently enrolled and two recent graduates, this summer is serving as more than a break between academic milestones—it’s a launching pad. Selected from thousands of applicants to participate in two of the nation's most competitive fellowship programs, these Bears are spending their summers conducting groundbreaking research at Harvard University and gaining firsthand experience within the National Basketball Association. Their achievements underscore a broader reality at Morgan: students are increasingly competing—and succeeding—on national stages that accelerate careers, expand professional networks and affirm the University's growing reputation for producing graduates prepared to lead across industries. 

Morgan junior Xavier Maple, an Engineering Physics major in the School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, was selected as a 2026 Du Bois Scholar through the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative. Maple joins a cohort of just 29 students representing eight research-focused Historically Black Colleges and Universities selected for the fully funded, nine-week summer research internship at Harvard University's Summer Undergraduate Research Village.

Named in honor of scholar, historian and civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois, the fellowship is designed to strengthen partnerships between Harvard and HBCUs while providing exceptional undergraduate researchers with immersive faculty mentorship, cutting-edge research experiences and professional development opportunities. Throughout the summer, fellows collaborate alongside Harvard faculty and doctoral students while engaging in advanced research spanning disciplines from biomedical sciences to social science and public policy.

Maple's selection reflects an academic trajectory already distinguished by achievement. In addition to pursuing engineering physics, he is both a UCF McNair Scholar and an ACCELERATE Grant Scholar, positioning him among Morgan's rising generation of undergraduate researchers preparing for graduate study and research careers.

While Maple is conducting research in Cambridge, two recent Morgan graduates are experiencing another highly selective opportunity—this time inside one of the world's most recognizable professional sports organizations. 

Assata Allah-Shabazz, who earned a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications from Morgan's School of Global Journalism and Communication in 2025, was selected as a Public Relations Intern with the Detroit Pistons through the NBA HBCU Fellowship Program. Joining her in this year's fellowship class is Ella Uduku, who graduated from Morgan in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management after serving as manager for the Lady Bears Women's Basketball team. Uduku was selected as a Youth Basketball Development Intern with the NBA League Office.

Together, Allah-Shabazz and Uduku were among just 70 students representing 23 HBCUs nationwide chosen for the NBA Foundation's 2026 HBCU Fellowship Program. Their selection is especially noteworthy considering the program attracted more than 10,500 applicants, making admission into this year's cohort exceptionally competitive. As an added special twist, the NBA Foundation held a draft ceremony to pair the students with their prospective internship organizations.

The 10-week paid fellowship immerses students in the business operations of professional basketball by placing them with NBA teams and league offices across a broad range of functional areas, including public relations, marketing, corporate partnerships, community engagement and business operations. Fellows also participate in leadership development programming, executive networking opportunities and a multi-day orientation hosted at NBA headquarters in New York and New Jersey.

The program has become an increasingly effective pipeline for HBCU talent, with more than one in five fellowship alumni ultimately securing full-time positions with NBA teams or the league office.

Although their destinations differ, Maple, Allah-Shabazz and Uduku share a common distinction: each earned opportunities that extend learning well beyond the classroom while positioning themselves for future leadership within their respective professions.

Their accomplishments also reflect Morgan State University's continued commitment to preparing students for meaningful careers through rigorous academics, faculty mentorship, undergraduate research and strategic partnerships with globally recognized institutions and organizations. As employers, research universities and industry leaders increasingly seek talented, diverse candidates capable of making immediate contributions, Morgan students continue demonstrating they are prepared to compete—and excel—wherever opportunity leads.

For these three Bears, this summer represents more than a prestigious fellowship. It is the next step in careers already gaining national momentum. Morgan momentum.