Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) Celebrates 30 Years of HBCU Academic Excellence

TORRANCE, Calif., March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating its 30^th year as the nation's premier academic competition for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) will culminate the year-round program on April 16 when a new champion is crowned. The top quiz bowl teams from 48 HBCUs will travel to Los Angeles for the HCASC National Championship Tournament, April 13-17, on the Honda campus in Torrance, California.

HCASC connects the nation's best and brightest HBCU students and provides an opportunity to expand their scope of knowledge, learn teamwork and sportsmanship, and develop a bond with their fellow competitors. The program highlights students' academic talents and ability to answer questions about history, science, literature, religion, the arts and pop culture. Outside of game play, students participate in community service activities and are provided with leadership, networking and mentorship opportunities.

"For 30 years, the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge has provided high-achieving HBCU students the opportunity to advance their dreams," said Steve Morikawa, vice president of Corporate Relations and Social Responsibility at American Honda. "This is an event that Honda feels passionately about, with many of our associates volunteering each year to help make it happen. We look forward to meeting students, coaches and institutional reps from all HBCUs and crowning the 2019 HCASC National Champion."

In April, more than 300 HBCU students, coaches, presidents and institutional representatives will participate in and attend the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament in Los Angeles. The 2019 HCASC contingent hails from 48 HBCUs, or "Great 48," located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. These teams earned a place in the National Championship Tournament by competing in regional tournaments held on HBCU campuses. Each year HCASC awards $358,000 in institutional grants to participating HBCUs. For the list of "Great 48" qualifying HBCUs, visit HCASC.com.

30 Years of Advancing Dreams
This year's HCASC theme is "30 Years of Advancing Dreams." Honda established Honda Campus All-Star Challenge in 1989 to recognize and celebrate the academic talents of HBCU students as well as to provide personal development and experiential learning opportunities. Participants gain life-changing experiences through travel opportunities, networking with business leaders and making friends for life. More than $9 million in grants from Honda to participating HBCUs have been used to fund tuition and book scholarships, student development initiatives, endowment and development campaigns, as well as facilities and equipment.

Over its 30-year history, HCASC has fostered a network of more than 125,000 alumni – many of whom stay involved in the competition as volunteers at the National Championship Tournament or serve as mentors for the next generation of student competitors. HCASC's impressive roster of past participants includes engineers, lawyers, doctors and professors.

The 2019 HCASC finals will be live-streamed on April 16 starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT at HCASC.com. To send messages of encouragement and support for the HBCU student competitors, visit the HCASC Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and include #HCASC.

Honda and the HBCU Community
For three decades, Honda has been committed to supporting the success and dreams of the nation's HBCUs. Through initiatives like the Honda Battle of the Bands and Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, Honda has been able to reach more than 170,000 students and award over $12 million in grants in support of HBCU education programs. These initiatives also have enabled Honda to provide unforgettable experiences and opportunities for students to create memories that will last a lifetime, including meeting and networking with their peers from different schools.

SOURCE Honda