North Carolina A&T University is among the top HBCUs in the country. Part of the university's prominence lies in its active alumni base.

Any HBCU event is bound to be populated by people adorned in blue and yellow, likely chanting “Aggie Pride” to all who are near. Graduates from the university dominate in all professional fields; this article lists just five of many Aggie superstars.

Dr. Tomika P. LeGrande

On June 1, Dr. Tomika LeGrande became the ninth president of Prairie View A&M University. Before attending North Carolina A&T, she got her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Savannah State University. She went to NCAT for a master's in chemistry, then completed her educational journey at Texas Tech University where she earned her Ed.D.

LeGrande has been entrenched in the world of academia. Prior to Prairie View, LeGrande was employed at Virginia Commonwealth University as the vice president for strategy, enrollment management, and student success.

She held the same position at the University of Houston-Downtown and was the associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Winston-Salem State University. Additionally, in 2021, LeGrande was awarded the Governor's Champion for Change Award for Virginia.

Alma Adams

Since 2014, Alma Adams has been a Representative for North Carolina's 12th congressional district in the U.S. House. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1946, Adams attended North Carolina A&T to receive both her bachelor's and master's degree in Art Education. She earned her Ph. D. in Art Education and Multicultural Education from Ohio State University.

Adams became the first Black woman elected to her local school board, eventually parlaying that into a seat on the city council. In 1994, Adams made it to the General Assembly for North Carolina's House of Representatives.

She held the seat until 2014 when she won the special election for North Carolina's 12th Congressional District. She is the co-founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and the co-founder and chair of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus.

Terrence J

Born Terrence Jenkins in Queens, New York, Terrence J grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He earned his bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from North Carolina A&T, which has helped launch him into media stardom.

The three-time Emmy award winner has been in numerous television shows and movies, such as Think Like A Man, The Perfect Match, Power: Confidential, and Stomp the Yard: Homecoming. He also wrote a personal memoir titled The Wealth of My Mother's Wisdom.

Terrence J is probably best known as the host of BET's most popular show, 106 & Park. He was a host on the show for seven years, as well as hosting for E! Network to stay in the world of entertainment.

Tarik Cohen

Tarik Cohen is currently an NFL running back for the Chicago Bears. Despite the current success, however, college scouts overlooked Cohen as a high school senior in Bunn, North Carolina. At just 5'6″, 179 pounds, he received just one Division I offer. That offer, of course, came from North Carolina A&T.

Cohen excelled in college. he was the first freshman in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and became the third player in MEAC history to rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman.

By the end of his collegiate career, Cohen rushed for 4,031 yards and 38 touchdowns, including 21 games of over 100 yards and four games of over 200 yards.

The Bears selected Cohen in the fourth round of the 2017 Draft. Cohen's consistent production as both a runner and receiving threat from the backfield earned him a three-year, $17.25 million contract extension with Chicago.

Jesse Jackson Sr.

Jesse Jackson, the civil rights icon, was born in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1941. Though his family was extremely poor, Jackson was able to graduate from North Carolina A&T in 1963. Five years later, he became a Baptist minister after studying at the Chicago Theological Seminary.

Over the course of the 1970s and 80s, Jackson advocated for Black civil rights through his organization, Rainbow/PUSH. He started PUSH – People United to Save Humanity –  in 1971 to organize boycotts against discriminatory companies.

In the 1980s, the National Rainbow Coalition was Jackson's attempt to diversify his civil rights efforts, targeting people of all races and ethnicities. Eventually, he merged the two organizations together into the Rainbow Push Coalition, which still operates today. It has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Washington, D.C., and the Bay Area.