Lauren Proby, C’2025, has been named a 2022 White House HBCU Scholar by The White House Initiative on Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Development through Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
An English major on the pre-law track from just outside Chicago, Illinois, Proby has a proven record of community service and advocacy that helped earn her the HBCU Scholar distinction. Also recognized as a 2021 Bank of America Student Leader, she currently works as the Disability Justice Lead for Youth Activism Project. In March 2021, Proby was appointed by the Governor of Illinois to represent students with disabilities on the Illinois State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities.
At Spelman, Proby is a member of the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program and the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. She also serves as secretary of the American Sign Language Club and, in March, had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. via the Spelman on the Hill program to engage with Spelman alumnae and Congressional officials on Capitol Hill and to present an advocacy topic to members of Congress.
Through the 2022-2023 academic school year, Proby and the other HBCU Scholars will have an opportunity to work on issues specifically related to the HBCU community and participate in national and regional events with professionals from a wide range of disciplines.
As a White House HBCU Scholar, she looks forward to obtaining the resources and support to help contribute a disability-centered perspective to Spelman College.