The Chicago Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers hosted a day-long event today for students ranging in age from 5 to 17. When we reached the speed networking session, I thought, “Well, I guess I’ll have to skip this part.” But the moderator insisted that another girl (who is a social worker) and I, stay to participate. I sat there thinking and hoping I would find that one kid in the room who would give me the standard, “My mom made me come” or say, “I don’t know” to the first question on my list: “So why do you want to be an engineer?”
Lucky for me, there were at least 5 who were more than happy to learn about other opportunities to work in tech as marketers, graphic designers, or even entrepreneurs. I may have even convinced one of the students to apply to The Ohio State University next fall. Another one should be contacting 1871 soon for a tour.
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