U.S., CANADIAN ENGINEERING STUDENTS
TO HOLD ‘A WALK FOR EDUCATION’ IN APRIL

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — On Saturday, April 26, hundreds of engineering students from colleges in the U.S. and Canada will take to the streets of seven cities. Their mission: to increase the number of black youth pursuing careers in engineering, science, technology and math.

The 28,000-member National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the U.S., is the sponsor of the event, which is called “A Walk for Education.” Teams of NSBE members will go door-to-door in designated neighborhoods during the Walk, passing out literature at local businesses and meeting places, informing local youth and their parents about lucrative career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and emphasizing the importance of finishing high school and going to college.

A Walk for Education will take place in Lexington, Ky.; Hartford, Ct.; Houston, Texas; Milwaukee, Wis.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Los Angeles, Calif., and Toronto, Ontario. The corporate sponsors for the walk are bp, Praxair, Inc. and United Technologies Corporation.

PURPOSE

Goal: To increase awareness of the opportunities available through education particularly in the STEM fields and to shatter myths about African-Americans in math, science, engineering and other technologies.

Who will benefit? Students of all ages

What will we do? Volunteers will walk door-to-door in a predominantly underrepresented minority communities distributing information about area college admissions, area vocational schools, GED, SAT/ACT, NSBE Resources, and financial aid.

Who can participate? Anyone who believes that education is a good thing: a NSBE member, a Greek sorority and fraternity member, a company representative, a church member, and a college graduate as well as a non-college graduate. All are needed in this effort.

MOTIVATION

Fact: Though African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students who go on to college major in quantitative fields at about the same percentages as whites, they are much less apt to graduate.

Fact: Even though the math achievement and course-taking of minority students has been increasing, relatively few African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge they need to continue in quantitative disciplines. Even fewer go on in these areas.

Fact: For students at twelfth grade 20 percent of white and 33 percent of Asian American students score at or above NAEP proficiency levels, compared to 4 percent of African American students, 6 percent of Hispanic students, and 3 percent of American Indian students. The percentage of African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students scoring at NAEP’s advanced level is 0.

You have the power…
-To increase awareness of the opportunities available in college among Black communities.
-To encourage students to strive for excellence in school.
-To inform parents of how beneficial college can be for their kids.
-To inform parents how beneficial their support is to their children’s success.