White House 2023 HBCU Scholars include students from NY/NJ

By JASON PONTEROTTO Special To The AmNews

The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Development through Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) announces the 2023 HBCU student scholars.

It is the ninth and largest cohort of scholars and consists of 102 undergraduate, graduate and professional students across 29 states and countries across 70 HBCUs in the country.

By BRIAN DELK Special to the Am News

Educating and illuminating youth to the emerging industries of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), is essential to STEM NOLA’s work in one of America’s Blackest cities.

STEM NOLA, a nonprofit that encourages K-12 students in STEM-based learning, recently held its 10th annual Rocket Day in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the UNO Lakefront Arena. Rocket Day is an annual free event for the community to teach kids about aerospace and rocket technology fundamentals.

“This event provides an immersive experience for students to explore and inspire them to pursue careers in STEM fields,” said Dr. Calvin Mackie, president, founder, and CEO of STEM NOLA. “Rocket Day is our launchpad to really ignite their passion for science and engineering. We want to fuel curiosity and show the next generation the limitless power of possibility.”

Rocket Day served over 450 students, parents, volunteers, and more. The three-hour event featured speakers and volunteers from the Boeing Company. Students learned about the principles of rocketry and the physics of rocket takeoff. They then built model rockets and launched them across the field, displaying what they had learned.

The Boeing Company and the Department of Defense also sponsored the event, and brought dozens of volunteers to help the students. Mackie said these sponsorships had allowed him to expand the program through- out the state and along the Gulf Coast. STEM NOLA has also hosted events in Camden, New Jersey, and in New York at Yankee Stadium.

Morgan Hawkins, one of many volunteers at Rocket Day, said she was excited to see the event take place and help out. Hawkins works for Textron, a defense and aerospace company, and she said this was her first time volunteering at an event like this with her colleagues.

She said she taught the kindergarten to second grade group, which was a lot to handle but tons of fun. Hawkins added that she is glad that someone like Mackie is leading students into STEM paths and careers. During the event, Congressman Troy Carter handed a check for a $2 million federal grant to STEM NOLA. This funding will help build the foundation for the STEM Innovation Hub for Black Excellence. This hub will include laboratories and classrooms with the technology necessary to prepare students for a career or expertise in STEM.

Mackie created STEM NOLA out of his garage with his two sons and a few children from the neighborhood. After his children and other kids became more curious about the subject, in 2013, Mackie and his wife, Tracy Mackie, took out a loan to initiate STEM NOLA and host larger events for more kids across the community.

The first Rocket Day was months later and inspired by Mackie and his son’s regular weekend activity of firing rockets in the park. He said when you fire rockets at the park, naturally, children with

Three of the students are from New York: Raquel Liverpool from Brooklyn attends Miles College in Birmingham, Ala; Tamara Wood from the Bronx attends Shaw University in Raleigh, NC; and Carys Carr from Rochester attends Howard University in Washington, D.C.,. Two are from New Jersey: Laquann Wilson from Palmyra attends Alabama State University in Montgomery, Ala; and Calvin Bell from Pennsauken attends Morehouse College in Atlanta.

According to the White House, the scholars will be offered professional and personal development, and cross-university networking opportunities with an opportunity to explore, discuss, and improve issues specifically related to the HBCU community.

They will also be invited and able to participate in the 2023 HBCU Week National Annual Conference between Sept. 24 through 28 in Virginia. This year’s conference theme is “Raising the Bar: Forging Excellence Through Innovation & Leadership.”

The HBCU Scholar Program began a partnership with NASA last year in connection to their program, the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovation Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC) aka “Mini MITTIC.” Through the Mini MITTIC program, HBCU Scholars will partner with one another, developing ideas to commercialize technology derived from NASA intellectual property that can improve their campus and surrounding communities.

The students will have the opportunity to present their IP ideas in-person at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

After the conference, the cohorts will be able to take part in different programs, events, and class seminars to create greater access to post-graduation opportunities within non-profit, business, and federal agency partners to ensure that as a nation we remain globally competitive.

“On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and everyone across the Biden-Harris Administration, I congratulate each of our 2023 HBCU scholars on this prestigious recognition and thank them for their commitment to serving their communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Cardona. “I’m thrilled to see the HBCU Scholars program continue to expand its reach and provide such exciting professional development, networking, and educational opportunities to some of our nation’s brightest and most promising young leaders.”

The HBCU Scholar Recognition Program was created under the Obama administration in 2014.

DJ Envy set to headline HBCU New York Classic after-party

By BRIAN DELK Special to the AmNews

The world’s largest historically Black college and university (HBCU) homecoming is returning to New York with a series of events, including a football game at MetLife Stadium, and an after-party headlined by DJ Envy on September 16th.

Raashaun Casey, popularly known as DJ Envy, is the co-host of the syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club” with Charlamagne Tha God. He will be headlining the after-party of the HBCU New York Classic, which will take place at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the second-largest mall in the country.

DJ Envy, the Queens native and Hampton University alum, said he is glad to have attended an HBCU and wants to bring the southern HBCU spirit to his hometown.

“Let’s bring the HBCU atmosphere to New York (since) a lot of these students and people in the area don’t get to see it,” DJ Envy said. “People in the south see HBCUs all day. They see the effects of the Morehouses, Spelmans, Clarks, FAMUs, and North Carolina A&Ts. But we don’t get to see that in New York, … we don’t get this experience of an HBCU. And with this classic, a lot of students and a lot of people who may not have seen (this atmosphere) before will get to really, really enjoy it and see it.”

The after-party for the Classic will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the genre of music that shaped DJ Envy’s career. He said applying the skills he