Miles Pierre
September 25th, 2025
“Get on the Bus” at Abraham-Clarke High School, in Roselle NJ
Photo Credits: Miles Pierre, Noah Cathey, and Zendo Rouson.
“Get on the Bus,” one of Morehouse College’s most sacred, uplifting, and empowering was created by Dean Kevin Booker and Johnathan Hill ’16, former SGA President, in 2015. What first sparked as an idea from Booker, during the Million Man March in Washington D.C., soon grew into a program that allows Morehouse students to travel across the country to empower high schoolers and expose them to the incredible mystique of Morehouse College.
“Get on the Bus is the outpouring of support that we provide to urban schools throughout the country, with young men helping to empower them so that their circumstances do not define who they are as individuals, nor is it their narrative,” says Booker.
Every year, the program sees several students and faculty participate in at least two or three trips during the entire year, with the first one of this school year held at two different high schools, with one group of Morehouse students and faculty performing at East Orange High in East Orange NJ and another group, including myself, performing at Abraham-Clarke High in Roselle NJ.
Additionally, students also get to enjoy the annual Morehouse College Vs Howard University HBCU Football Classic as a part of the trip. For some, “Get on the Bus,” might be a life changing program that allows them to inspire and empower the next generation, but for others, like Booker, it’s a movement that both nurtures and changes even Morehouse alumni, faculty and staff and increases relationships that can turn into a life long brotherhood.
“Get on the Bus has helped shape me as a better leader because it has allowed me to continue to make an impact on our students and their development.” says Booker. “But even more importantly, it has spread the Morehouse ethos and values throughout the country.”
GOTB is also very fundamental to both high school and Morehouse students who come from urban environments, or as Booker likes to call them, “At-Risk” communities, where students may have some challenges either at school or at home. The program can provide students and staff from “At-Risk” communities with a different perspective, because it exposes them to positive role models, college life, and new possibilities they may not have experienced before. Seeing young Black and brown men from Morehouse who share similar backgrounds, but have achieve both academic and personal success can be deeply inspiring.
“Making a difference in the lives of others through their service, but also not wasting their talents and the resources they have, in front of them and helping others to connect to their talents and resources, that is living a life of greatness to me. And it’s something that I have made a part of my life every day here at Morehouse.” says Booker.
For others who may have grown up in wealthier or more privileged backgrounds, GOTB offers an equally important shift in perspective. It helps students understand the diverse realities that others face, building empathy, humility, and social awareness. By engaging with students from different backgrounds, they gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of community strength, resilience, and service.
Overall, GOTB serves as a bridge between college and young students, while promoting academic excellence, leadership, and self-empowerment that is displayed at Morehouse College daily. Booker is proud of how far the program has grown and plans to continue to make a difference for several communities that are in need of change that Morehouse can bring.