Obed Gant moved to Baltimore from his hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana, with dreams of pursuing the arts. At Coppin State University, he majored in urban arts with a concentration in theater and set his sights on the stage. His goal was to earn a master’s degree in fine arts and continue acting professionally, until the opportunity to join a public service fellowship showed Gant a different kind of stage.
During his senior year, a mentor introduced him to Baltimore’s HBCU Emerging Leaders Fellowship, a year-long paid program that places 25 recent HBCU graduates into full-time roles in Baltimore City government. Launched in 2024 by Mayor Brandon Scott in partnership with Baltimore Corps, Morgan State University, and Coppin State University, the program gives new graduates like Gant the chance to serve their communities and encourages students to stay in Baltimore after they graduate. Fellows receive full-time salaried compensation with benefits. Fellows with bachelor’s degrees earn $51,500 annually, while fellows with graduate degrees earn $65,000 annually. The program also provides transportation stipends along with professional development opportunities, hands-on training, and mentorship. The fellowship is designed to close employment gaps within the city while preparing the next generation of HBCU leaders to fill critical vacancies across city government.
“This program is stewarded as more than a workforce initiative,” says Assistant Deputy Mayor Noell West, a Morgan State University alumna who coordinates the fellowship.
Eager to make a difference, Gant immediately applied, was accepted, and soon began working under Baltimore City’s former Senior Advisor of Arts & Culture Tonya Miller Hall. He assisted the mayor’s office with the recent Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts transition, the Bloomberg Public Art Challenge “Inviting Light,” and Artscape, among other projects. In preparation for the annual Artscape event, Gant managed contracts and payments for artists, vendors, and performers including Fantasia, an experience he carries with pride.
“They allowed me to sit at tables they were at and allowed me to have the same wealth of knowledge that they had. They gave me the opportunity to take on tasks, fail at tasks, and learn from the failing,” he said.
“They allowed me to sit at tables they were at and allowed me to have the same wealth of knowledge that they had. They gave me the opportunity to take on tasks, fail at tasks, and learn from the failing.”
Obed Gant, one of the inaugural HBCU Emerging Leaders Fellows
The fellowship reflects a broader movement among cities nationwide that are aiming to retain talented graduates. Many cities — Raleigh, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin among them — are making space for the next generation to launch public service careers.
In Baltimore, the fellowship represents a strong investment: 15 fellows have been onboarded into full-time roles within Baltimore City government, while an additional five are receiving coordinated support from their alma maters and city agencies as they pursue permanent positions that suit their interests. Fellows from the inaugural class, including Gant, who now works full-time as cultural impact coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, have already transitioned into full-time civic roles.
In a post shared last year on the fellowship’s Instagram page (@bmorefellows), Gant reflected on his experience: “Being at this fellowship is not at all what I thought I would be doing, but I am grateful that I am here. It has most definitely opened up my eyes to the idea of public service being a part of my career now.”
For Morgan and Coppin, the city’s two HBCUs, the fellowship aligns with a broader mission of empowering students to shape the communities they come from, stepping into roles that strengthen neighborhoods, influence local policy, and model leadership for the next generation of students.
“Morgan is about preparing leaders that give back,” said Tasha Benn, assistant director of external relations for the university’s Center for Career Development. Since the fellowship began in 2024, Benn says its most recent cohort is already contributing in meaningful ways.
“We’ve received feedback that the fellows are being trusted with real responsibilities,” Benn said. “That’s exciting for them. We are just grateful that the City of Baltimore has brought this to us to share with our students.”
Faculty at Coppin echoed Morgan’s support for the fellowship, highlighting its role in preparing graduates for impactful careers here in Baltimore. “We are all about career readiness,” said Loretta Mask Campbell, student experience director at Coppin. “Our goal for our students is for them to approach their commencement with opportunities. This initiative goes hand in hand with what we do in nurturing the potential here, transforming the lives of our students, and allowing them to expand into public service.”
Through the fellowship, Morgan State graduate Jacob Milton has begun working in the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success. In his role as a special assistant of programs, policy and partnership, Milton works directly under Baltimore City leadership, applying his recent master’s degree in social work to projects that support youth and family well-being. He credits the fellowship, along with support from Morgan, with helping him make local change.
“Working in city government has allowed me to merge my education and passion for helping others with the tangible work of creating policies, programs, and events that uplift individuals and communities,” Milton said. One of his most memorable experiences through the fellowship was meeting Heman Bekele, an Ethiopian American inventor and researcher who developed a soap prototype designed to deliver cancer-fighting treatments.
“Being surrounded by bright, driven young people and seeing their excitement as they interacted with professionals like architects, doctors, and engineers was unforgettable. Moments like that remind me why policy work matters: to create opportunities, amplify voices, and open doors that once seemed out of reach,” said Milton.
Like Gant, Milton sees public service as not only a career path, but as a calling.
“This fellowship has been an incredible opportunity to deepen my understanding of public service. I hope to build on this experience by continuing to have opportunities to learn leadership skills from Baltimore’s leaders and serve the people of Baltimore City.”