Issa Hayes, a 16-year-old junior at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, looks at the upcoming weeklong tour of a dozen historically Black colleges and universities, called HBCUs, as "a good opportunity to expand what my options are."

Darius Nelson, also 16, of Baldwin, who is a junior at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, said of the HBCUs: "I learned about them growing up," through participation in Jack and Jill of America Inc. The organization provides cultural, educational and civic opportunities for youth, with a focus on Black children and teens. Nelson said he was excited for the chance to see the schools himself.

He and Hayes are among 82 students from Long Island, all five boroughs of New York City, and out of state, who are set to board two buses Saturday

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