CATEGORY: Students
Isabella Senzamici • Jun 3, 2026
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For Ningozi Hibbert, the moment she received the Hartford Promise Scholarship wasn’t just exciting, it was the culmination of years of focus, discipline, and belief in her future.
“I’ve been working toward the Hartford Promise since I started high school,” she said. “This scholarship is life-changing. It means I can focus on my future without worrying about the cost.”
Ningozi is one of 11 seniors at Achievement First Hartford High School to earn the prestigious scholarship, which provides up to $100,000 toward college. For her, it represents more than financial support – it’s freedom. Freedom to attend Georgetown University this fall, where she plans to study political science. Freedom to pursue her long-term goal of becoming a civil rights attorney. And freedom from the burden of debt that too often limits students’ choices.
Ningozi i credits her father with shaping her curiosity about the world. In her household, conversations about history and global events were part of daily life.
“He’s always watching the news, always trying to understand what’s happening,” she said. “We would talk about it all the time, and that made me want to learn more.”
At Achievement First, that curiosity found a place to grow.
In her history and government classes, Ningozi found teachers who didn’t just teach content, they challenged students to think critically about the world around them.
In classes like AP Government with Mr. Cerudo, African American and Latino Studies with Mr. Ellington, and World History with Mr. Cochran, lessons didn’t stay confined to textbooks. Instead, students regularly explored current events, debated real-world issues, and examined how history continues to shape the present.
Those classrooms became spaces where Ningozi could deepen her understanding of complex issues and find her voice.
It was through these discussions that she became more engaged in advocacy, including participating in a student walkout in response to immigration policies she believes are unjust.
That wasn’t her first experience in advocacy. In 10th grade, Ningozi participated in an after school program where she helped successfully lobby for a change in Connecticut state policy.
“When the bill passed, it felt amazing,” she said. “I realized I could actually help people in a real way. That’s when I knew this is what I want to do with my life.”
Making an impact is the throughline that connects everything in Ningozi’s story, from her early conversations at home, to her experiences in AF classrooms, to her advocacy work and future ambitions.
Along the way, she’s also built something equally meaningful: a deep sense of community. Having attended Achievement First since third grade, Ningozi describes her school as “like a family,” where classmates support one another and teachers invest deeply in their students’ success.
That support was especially visible as she and her classmates worked toward the Hartford Promise together, encouraging each other to stay on track, celebrating milestones, and showing up for one another.
“We were all so proud of each other,” she said. “Everyone pushed through to get there.”
Now, as she prepares to leave Hartford for Washington, D.C., Ningozi carries that community with her.
She’s excited for what’s ahead: new experiences, new perspectives, and the opportunity to keep growing. But her goal remains clear.
“I want to help people,” she said. “I want to make a difference.”
With her track record, there’s little doubt she will.
