NSBE - Winter 2011/2012 - (Page 22)

ThE PRogRAMs zoNE SEEK…It’s Not Just for Kids! By Sharifa Vinson, NSBE SEEK Coordinator As a SEEK mentor, you can expect to gain networking opportunities, lifelong friendships with fellow mentors, a healthy stipend and one of the best summers of your life. S ince its inception in 2007, NSBE’s Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) has touched more than 3,500 elementary school and middle school students, inspiring wonder and hunger for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To fulfill its mission of increasing the number of black engineers, NSBE looks ‘back to the future,’ cultivating students’ curiosity and fascination for science and math at an early age. Without a strong foundation in math and science at the start of their education, our students cannot be expected to excel academically and SEEK 2012 lOCATIONS Columbus, Ohio *Detroit, Mich. *New Orleans, la. Oakland, Calif. San Diego, Calif. washington, D.C. *New location 22 • nsbe magazine • Winter 2011/12 succeed professionally in STEM fields. But SEEK is not just for kids. A story we don’t always hear is that of the “roots” of this grassroots program. NSBE Executive Director Carl B. Mack (“Brother E.D.”) refers to them as our MVPs. They are part friend, part counselor, part teacher and the foundation upon which this program is built. They are the SEEK mentors. Each year, NSBE recruits its collegiate and Alumni members to serve as mentors, teaching engineering concepts to children in a fun, motivating environment. This past summer, NSBE expanded its SEEK program from Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio, to San Diego and Oakland, Calif. NSBE Magazine talked with a mentor from each of these sites to get the inside scoop on the experience. MotIvAtIoN With all of the ways college students could spend their summers, from internships and jobs to sleeping in and hanging out, these mentors consciously chose something more. When asked why they became SEEK mentors, they all cited a passion for helping and a drive and desire to fulfill NSBE’s mission. Steavian Sampson told us, “I like to inspire, and I have the hunger to want to make a difference.” SEEK, a free program that targets underprivileged African-American youth, is “pretty much the embodiment of the Mission,” said mentor Vogue Robinson. Her love of working with kids is what led her to SEEK, and her experience being a mentor reinforced her dream of becoming a teacher. Nicholas Bethea explained that what made his experience so special was being able “to help kids who don’t have access to tutors, to help and motivate them to try new things.” Many NSBE members know this story by heart, because they’ve lived it. Growing up, they may not have had a role model who was an engineer. They may not even have known what an engineer really was. But despite CoNTINuED oN PagE 24 www.nsbe.org http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - Winter 2011/2012

NSBE - Winter 2011/2012
Contents
Engagement Matters
Worth a Thousand Words
Living Abroad
Mizanu Kebede of L ife Technologies
Marques Griffin of Chevron Corporation
Chapter News
What’s New?
Membership News
Soaring in Finance, Grounded in Math
The Programs Zone
International News
NSBE Calendar
NSBE Golden Torch Award Winers
The Professional’s Perspective
Opportunities in Emerging Africa
Improving Energy Efficiency in Signal Processing
Council Selects NSBE to Help Improve the FE Exam
The NSBE Aerospace Systems Conference
Boost Your Knowledge! Join a SIG
AE Members on the Move
Advertisers Index

NSBE - Winter 2011/2012