13 minute read
One on One
The men of Delaware State University
time that HBCU presidents attached our names to the effort. You usually see our great advocacy partners, Thurgood Marshall College Fund and United Negro College Fund, doing that heavy legislative advocacy work. We thought it was important that we attached our names to the effort and are now working aggressively with our respective congressional delegations around the country to make sure that we can get to the finish line. When you talk about having the ear of the administration, that’s overstated. You may not know this, but President Biden started his first Senate campaign on the hallowed grounds of Delaware State University. He’s recognized our importance since 1972. You already know that an HBCU graduate stood in South Carolina and said, “I know Joe Biden, and Joe Biden knows us.” Congressman (James) Clyburn changed the state of the election. And then, the president picked Kamala Harris, an HBCU graduate, and has since that time put significant figures from the HBCU community in significant places in the government. Think about Michael Regan (the United States Environmental Protection Agency) from North Carolina A&T and Cedric Richmond (senior advisor and director of the Office of Public Engagement) from Morehouse College. The president has lots of folks who understand the importance of HBCUs all around him. We want to make sure that we are clear on our priorities; we are speaking loudly and encouraging the infusions and support that will help us not take the final step but take a significant step toward a more equitable community.
USBE: What’s on your wish list for 2022?
Dr. Allen: I hope Build Back Better has passed. That would be a significant boost to us, particularly those priorities in my outline earlier; I hope to have continued momentum from the private sector, which I think will happen because, particularly among the employees at Fortune 500 companies, there is a continued emphasis on pushing their companies to do more and think more clearly around pipelining. When you think about finding the right talent of color, the first order of business is going to an HBCU. When you talk about visibility and momentum, you will also see our HBCU community continue to do more together. That R1 status shouldn’t be for just one HBCU, and there are 11 of us on the precipice here. We are beginning to work together along with those goals, and we need to continue to do that until we get all 11 HBCUs into R1 status and the others in R3 or not yet in a research category at all. I said earlier that folks must recognize that there are not 10 HBCUs in the country. There are 101. Building capacity for folks who produce 350,000 graduates each year and making sure they are successful is a core goal. If you didn’t have HBCUs in the 21st century, you’d have to invent us. I very much believe no one can do what we do, or do it as well as we do, not only for the benefit of our community but for others.
USBE: Are there any plans for Delaware State to become an ABET-accredited HBCU?
Dr. Allen: Delaware State is building a broader capacity for engineering disciplines. We are partnering with sister institutions, and some we are doing on our own. So, I’ll say we are on our way. Our summer program for aviation is a little-known fact. We produce more pilots than any other place in the country and have our aircraft, about 22 planes. We are doing a yeoman’s job of preparing folks for the future. We are going for a deeper accreditation with United Airlines and the like. We will take a deeper dive into many of our STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines. It’s going to produce significant results for us. Just this past legislative session, the Delaware General Assembly passed what we call the INSPIRE Scholarship. It’s a full, four-year, tuition-free scholarship at Delaware State for any graduating high school senior in Delaware with a 2.75 GPA. We’ve already seen a significant increase in enrollment. As a result, we have to ensure that we have the disciplines those folks are looking for, and many are looking, as you might imagine, at STEM. So, while we have great STEM curricula, we know we can do better, and we’re doing that. S
BREAKING THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING: TAKING YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL
As the CEO of Somerville Consulting Group and mentor to countless young professionals around her, she helps people “level up” their businesses and careers.
Of course, that can be easier said than done; growing a business or getting promoted takes hard work, perseverance, and a bit of planning. It also helps to have an advocate like Somerville in your corner to offer advice and coaching along the way. At the most recent Women of Color STEM Conference, Somerville joined us to offer some advice on how to take your career to the next level. Here are some of the tips she gave to the audience:
OWN YOUR JOURNEY
According to Somerville, the most important task on any professional’s to-do list is to be happy with oneself. If you’re not happy, it means that something needs to change, and you need to make that change happen. “When you think of leveling up in your career, the first thing I want you to do is to be happy with yourself,” she says. “If your work doesn’t give you purpose and you don’t feel like you’re constantly growing and maturing in your career, then make some changes today.” Not all changes need to be drastic, either, she says; sometimes, small changes can help you find more immediate happiness in your life. “When you try to do too much, it leaves you feeling like you’re not doing anything,” Somerville says. “It’s better to find one thing that you want to be happier with. Figure out what steps you need to take to improve that thing and make that change.”
NURTURE PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Somerville stresses the importance of being someone that others want to be around in the workplace. Maintaining a positive outlook and avoiding negativity will help you form stronger relationships with your colleagues. “The best leaders don’t see problems; they see challenges to overcome and opportunities to shine that weren’t there before,” she says. “You can get so consumed with every negative thing, but that gets exhausting.” She explains that she constantly monitors her outlook to remain the most effective leader she can be.
“Every day before I leave my office, I ask myself if I have contributed more than I’ve criticized,” she says. “That’s one of the ways I maintain a healthy environment in my office.” However, Somerville adds that it’s important to raise your voice about concerns, especially for women, who aren’t as represented in every level of the business work. “Don’t allow [your concerns] to fester,” she says. “To come into work and stay positive, you also have to be true to yourself. Be a game-changer by being honest about your concerns and offering any solutions you have.”
TEACH THROUGH LEADERSHIP
One of the best ways to move upward in your career is to help others progress in their careers. Somerville sees this as an informal but crucial part of her job. “I love diamonds in the rough,” she says. “I love working with people that others no longer want to invest in. I love turning them around, showing them I care, and showing them that I’m
Somerville says. “I love working with
people that others no longer want
to help them reach their full potential.”
Adrienne Somerville CEO, Somerville Consulting Group
To Watch this full seminar, follow this link: https://youtu. be/MPsinqv7fIw
happy to help them reach their full potential.” She recommends every professional take an active mentorship role in their workplace. “Seek out someone to help,” she suggests. “Find someone who you believe can, with a bit of coaching and mentoring, get to a place that they didn’t imagine they could be.” Ultimately, teaching helps you grow as much as it helps the person you teach. “Knowledge sharing is reciprocal,” she says. “I’m always learning things from the people I mentor. Through sharing information, stories, and technical knowledge, we all grow.” S
STUDENT RISING STARS: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Being a student and maintaining exceptional grades can be a challenge in today’s world. Students have to juggle family, friends, academics, extracurricular activities, and hobbies.
That’s why Career Communications Group (CCG) celebrates students who are not only excelling academically but using their talents and drive to serve their communities. These students embody dedication and hard work and are making a great impact in the STEM universe. Here are some of the most successful STEM students today.
SLAD Award
The student leadership award is presented to the students who best exemplify hard work and dedication. These students go above and beyond helping others in their communities through volunteer work, programs, and even military service. They maintain exceptional grades and GPA and serve and inspire others through their work. Career Communications Group (CCG) would like to recognize the following students with the SLAD award for 2022.
JARED DAVIS
Jared Davis chose to major in engineering for a couple reasons. He always felt more aligned with STEM topics than any other. He was always good at math and found science interesting as well. “As long as I can remember I knew that my future would involve STEM. In about 5th grade my parents got me my first LEGO set,” Davis said. “I didn’t touch it for weeks, but once I finally got around to it I had a blast putting it together.” Davis became more interested in building and purchased more LEGO sets to build. This hobby helped him develop an interest in design and aviation. He was intertested in planes at a young age and his curiosity only grew as he got older. Over time this love for planes transitioned to cars. By the time he was in high school, David knew that he wanted to pursue engineering. Davis’ fascination with vehicles allowed him to narrow down his interest to mechanical engineering. At first, he didn’t know much about engineering, but he did know that they built and designed things and that was good enough for him to choose this career path. “What really solidified this choice were two courses I took while in high school, Davis said. “My Junior year I took AP physics and for the first time truly enjoyed what I learned.” Davis said that in this course he realized just how little he knew about the world and realized how fun it was to see how things operate. “ “Not only that, but I could see how I could use these concepts in real time and felt what I was learning was worthwhile. Taking that course really opened my eyes to what the future held for me,” Davis said. During his senior year of high school, Davis took a calculus course where he developed new professional relationships with his fellow students. Most of the people in this course were planning to go into STEM for their career paths and their presence made the course exciting for him. “I found myself surrounded by fun people who had the same interests as myself. The class was challenging but still enjoyable,” Davis said. “I had a wonderful teacher who was funny and taught effectively.” After taking these two courses, he knew that he would be well suited for a future in engineering. He felt that he could enjoy following this career path while also doing the things he loves.
JAMES “DYLAN” HALL
James “Dylan” Hall is a 20-year-old Junior at Alabama A&M University studying mechanical engineering with the concentration in propulsions and minor in computer science. He was born in Huntsville, Alabama and raised in Ardmore, Alabama. He isa smalltown student with very big goals. One of those goals is to be able to use his hands and his mind to make something that could help others. He is hoping to help not just through his job but also outside of his job with his character and actions. Hall hopes to find a career that will allow him to not only provide for his family, but help other people along the way. The reason he chose engineering is because he torn about what to pursue as a career. He observed his peers and their career choices and asked friends and family to help match him with a career path. He has always been interested in science and math and has excelled in those subjects througout his life.On top of excelling in these subjects, Hall learned that he likes to
Top to bottom: Jared Davis, James “Dylan” Hall, and Khalfani Hargrow
use his hands to build things. Although the classes have proved to be difficult, Hall has fully embraced this career path and hopes to make an impact in the future.
KHALFANI HARGROW
Khalfani Hargrow was born and raised in Tennessee, where he lived with my mother, father, younger brother, and dog. He was homeschooled by his mother, where he learned to understand his own unique process of learning and problem solving. He applied to the Coast Guard Academy as a government major and noticed in his first semester courses that his passion was in subjects like, physics, math, and computer coding. This is when he knew he needed to get into an engineering major. Hargrow switched to taking calculus 2, introduction to computing, and engineering mechanics: statics, all courses not traditionally taken by government majors, during his second semester. This furthered his interest and passion in math and engineering and ultimately led him to switch to electrical engineering. “I love the challenge and process of solving difficult problems presented in my engineering courses and gaining a better understanding of some of the driving principles of the way our world works. My experiences growing up greatly influenced the way I approach engineering,” Hargrow said. Hargrow was heavily involved in taekwondo in high school, competing in national and international competitions. He said electrical engineering is heavy in abstract thinking, very similar to sparring, which is one of the reasons he was drawn to it.
“I love the process of approaching abstract concepts in concrete ways and simplifying them,” Hargrow said. Currently, his focus of study is cyberphysical security of generators and motors. This project is interdisciplinary, and he works heavily with cyber systems majors at the academy. Outside of academics, he currently serving as the Regimental Chief of Staff at the Coast Guard Academy, which is the third highest cadet leadership position. He has practiced and grown in many useful skills like compromise, problem solving, and communicating with many groups. In addition to his military leadership, he is the powerlifting and bodybuilding club president/captain. The club provides an outlet for members to learn about and participate in strength sports. The team is made up of people who have never been in a gym before joining as well as people who have years of experience. Hargrow said his involvement in the club has been one of the highlights of his Academy career. “It is awesome to watch members discipline and dedication directly translate into them becoming stronger and more confident,” Hargrow said.
KAILYN S. HAYE
Kailyn S. Haye began her studies in fall 2020 as a Presidential Scholar and dual Computer Engineering and Mathematics major. She has become a highly successful and active member of the Honors Program and VSU. Haye has served on the Honors Student Council where she has assisted in organizing programming to increase student engagement, including the Honors Book Club and the Mid-Term essential Study Kits. She was also a
