Paul Quinn College's #nationbuilding

Why Paul Quinn is the Model for the 21st Century HBCU | HBCU DIGEST In the span of months, Paul Quinn College has received $1 million…

What a Reinvented College Looks Like: 4 Alternative Higher-Ed Models It has become increasingly popular to say that higher education needs to go back to the drawing board—that the best way to improve college is to start

Arielle Clarkson is a senior at Paul Quinn College majoring in Legal Studies. She currently serves as the SGA President. She was also selected as a College Debate 2016 Delegate. She has represented the State of Texas. This is the first time that a Paul Quinn College student has been selected for this honor.

It has taken me a day to really wrap my head around this horrible news enough to write about it. Yesterday, the Quinnite Nation lost one of its former students to heart failure. Ashley R Holmes Mua was more than just someone who passed our way. She was family. I remember the first time we met her. She was a member of our 2013 Summer Bridge Program for incoming students. She was bright, engaging, and ambitious. Her smile was infectious and her laugh filled a room. She was a mother, a wife, and a sister. Her life was not easy, but her spirit was.

Life forced her to make some difficult choices and she left us. While she was away, she was never gone. She stayed in touch with all of us. She shared the joy of her success in beauty pageants (even allowing me to tease her about them) and her challenges. No matter what was going on in her life, she never stopped going. That is, until yesterday.

We don't know what caused her heart to stop beating. We will never understand why the Lord called her home leaving her family to find a way forward without her. What we do know is that while she was on this Earth, she touched our hearts and souls. And for that, we will be eternally grateful.

Ashley, the Quinnite Nation's commitment to you is that we will look after your twin sister and our current student, Amber Holmes Turner. We will hold her close and forever treasure your memory. We will miss you. Thank you for blessing us with your presence. Love, your Paul Quinn College family. just got a little bit smaller

Sarita Brown, President, Excelencia in Education, Michael Sorrell, President, Paul Quinn College and Cheryl Oldham, Vice President of Education Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce at | Photos by Kristoffer Tripplaar

The Changing Face of Higher Education An Atlantic Next America Forum The Atlantic will convene policymakers, educators, employers, students and higher education experts to examine what the future of higher education should look like as demographic and economic changes continue to transform our nation.