CECIL PRICE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: Local honors student eager to start career at prestigious HBCU despite pandemic

PITTSBURGH — In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, Cecil Price is amazed at where his life is headed.

He was accepted into Morehouse College, a prestigious historically black college for men. Getting into the Class of 2024 was not easy.

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Price’s family wasn’t sure how they would pay for his education, but those worries are far behind them. He was granted both the Oprah Winfrey Scholarship and Dr. Michael L. Lomax student success scholarship.

Choosing between those two prestigious scholarships was a good problem to have. Price was the first ever Morehouse student to be a recipient of both of those scholarships.

He’s breaking barriers, paving the way for the next generation of young, Black leaders. It’s a journey that wasn’t always easy, and it began at a young age.

Price’s mother knew they didn’t have the financial backing to be able to afford higher education that he was striving for, but she kept pushing him to perform in the classroom. He attended a charter school and then moved onto the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies, where he graduated with honors.

Price told Channel 11 he’s had straight A’s since he came to the Obama academy, and he has won numerous awards.

“What drives me is everything my mom has taught me,” said Price. “(I was) the first student body president who is also valedictorian in the school’s history ... the first two-time president of the African-American Center for Advanced Studies executive committee for a PPS district.”

Price just completed his first week at Morehouse virtually. He’s excited to experience campus life once the college opens back up, but for now he is focused on doing what he does best: encourage others.

“I would literally say my school’s motto. Nothing in life is so complicated that it cannot be achieved by discipline and hard work. Even though you may be in darkness, there is always light at the end of the tunnel,” Price said.