Growing up in North Philadelphia, Asya Johnson, EdD ’20, remembers learning about college visits from “posters on the wall.” Though she craved academic challenges, her school lacked access to advanced coursework. As a result, “I opted for an easier option,” she explains, describing her focus on humanities in high school.
Memories of those early obstacles stayed with her. She knew then that she wanted to create a different kind of school — one where students who looked like her could see their potential reflected and their ambitions supported.
That vision eventually led her to found HBCU Early College Prep High School in Queens, New York — an innovative school designed to equip students with both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree by the time they graduate.
Through a unique partnership with Delaware State University, students at HBCU Early College Prep graduate with an associate’s degree and a guaranteed admission offer from Delaware State. Though the school is public, applicants submit two short essays and a video introducing themselves and explaining their interest in attending. Johnson’s primary goal is to give students “a leg up, exposure, and get them prepared for life after school.”
Students at HBCU begin taking college courses as early as the ninth grade, taught by high school teachers who are trained as adjunct professors by Delaware State, qualifying them to grant course accreditation. By the second semester of their junior year, students enter a hybrid model taught jointly by Delaware State professors and high school teachers. Johnson believes early exposure to professors is crucial: “I didn’t want students waiting until the 11th grade to start challenging themselves.”
She attended Delaware State herself, where she embraced the HBCU experience — and even then, she dreamed of building a high school that would prepare students for the kind of education she found there.
At Drexel, where she earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership, her innovative ideas were nurtured. A class in creativity and innovation proved especially impactful, encouraging her “to think outside the box to be able to create schools of innovation, schools of the future, things that didn’t exist right now.” She says that class planted the seed for her high school initiative.
As her vision took shape, she researched HBCUs and discovered that while some offer early college programs, none operate in New York. Drexel’s community, particularly her Philly Cohort 8 peers, offered incredible support. “The people in my cohort felt like a community,” she says, emphasizing how the cohort model created “life-long friendships” and a sense of “connectedness.”
She also describes how one professor whom she was “inspired” by the moment she met him impacted her. “He was a professor you could talk to after hours and pick his brain about anything,” Johnson explains. That allowed her to confirm that her vision was something she really wanted to do. “I really enjoyed my time in his class, and he was very inspirational to me.” She also credits her Drexel dissertation chair, Joyce Pittman, for pushing her “to think outside of the box” and encouraging her to think creatively.
Johnson’s experience as a teacher and principal also shaped her approach. Working in New York, she often reflected on “opportunities that did not exist” for her students, especially those in detention facilities. Her commitment to supporting these students led her to take on the challenge of “turning around a school that was persistently struggling and out of time.” Under her leadership, and with new implementations like optional and required AP classes, the school saw rising graduation and attendance rates. According to Johnson, “the school has been in good standing for almost four years.”
Balancing rigorous coursework with flexibility was key to her success, and her goal was to provide exposure to academic challenges for every student. To that end, she required students to take AP English, ensuring that each had the opportunity to engage with at least one college-level course — an experience she herself had missed out on as a child. Her motto — “access isn’t optional” — became her guiding principle, driving her to make these resources available for students’ long-term success.
Johnson’s HBCU Early College Prep has received overwhelming community support, especially in Southeast Queens, where residents had advocated for an accelerated high school for some time. “The community threw a pep rally for the school that included a marching band, majorettes, and people from HBCUs who talked about their experience,” Johnson shares. As the first school of its kind in New York, excitement has been building around her initiative.
For Johnson, the school represents both where she came from and what she hopes to build. Having once seen college as something distant, glimpsed on a wall — now, she’s made it part of her students’ everyday reality. DM
