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Truth Be Told

Flying the Nest: Higher Education and the Fight for Opportunity

Published November 21, 2025 at 10:29 AM EST
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What does the road to college really look like for first-generation students of color? In this episode, Sherman Webb-Middlebrooks reflects on growing up in Buffalo, discovering the HEOP program by chance and navigating hunger, culture shock and isolation on a campus where few people looked like him. His story shines a light on the barriers built into higher education and the mentors and community members who helped him stay the course. A moving look at the resilience it takes to belong, and the systemic change needed to make college accessible for all.

Truth Be Told Season 1
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