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Training Historically Underrepresented Youth for STEM Careers
Richard Roberts III, the executive director and founder of Young Men and Women in Charge, is instilling underserved young adults with confidence.
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Growing up in Germantown, Richard Roberts III loved to find other people’s discarded gadgets, bring them home, and try to fix them. One evening his father called him downstairs and stared at him for several long seconds as he stood over a work table littered with half-dead toaster ovens, gutted radios, stripped electrical panels, and backless TVs. “Son, you’re going to be an engineer,” he said. Roberts was 10. “I didn’t know what an engineer was at the time, but that moment embedded in my head,” he said.
In college, he studied engineering, and, after graduation, he worked at Ford and Lockheed Martin, earned a master’s degree in software engineering and an MBA, and wound up working on enterprise software. Despite his success, something about his experiences felt strange.
“Everywhere I worked, whether in England with Jaguar or another project in Germany, I was the only person who looked like me. There were no other people of color in my field and rarely any women.” Inspired by this experience, he started an after-school program for third through 12th graders, to help them fall in love with math and science and to help them feel excited about where a STEM curriculum could lead them.
In 2007, he began Young Men and Women in Charge (as in “in charge of their futures”). Now, his vision has paid off: YMWIC’s oldest alumni are in their early 30s and working for major companies in the fields of engineering and computer science.
Today, YMWIC is a flourishing organization operating in nine school districts and three counties, serving more than 300 students during the academic year and 700 during the summer. “We don’t just teach math and science, we build confidence,” Roberts said. “Our young scholars know they can work hard and choose which path they want to take. We teach them that they are in charge.
What inspired you to found Young Men and Women in Charge?
I needed to not be the only person of color in every room I walked into. As a young engineering student, and later in workplaces, I was the only person who looked like me. And there were fewer than a handful of women in my classes. When I was over in Germany working on an Enterprise Software project, I stayed for two weeks, and I can remember seeing only one other person of color during my entire stay.
Think about all the people doing this kind of work — technicians, scientists, and managers. You wonder, why aren’t there more people of color doing this? I thought, I am just an average person, and if I can do this, why can’t other people do this?
I know about the inequities that POC and women experience. So, I thought, why can’t I break down barriers and help people get to where they want to be? And that includes helping them get scholarships and careers with financial opportunities.
“I needed to not be the only person of color in every room I walked into. As a young engineering student, and later in workplaces, I was the only person who looked like me.”
What model did you use when creating YMWIC?
People say it takes a village, and I take that phrase seriously. We are partnering with the school districts. That gives us access to the faculty, the kids, the parents, and the other organizations in the community.
The second part of the model engages the universities. They are very interested in seeing more people of color and women entering [STEM] fields. They allow us to bring our kids onto campus, and the professors get involved with the kids.
The third very important part of this model are the corporations. They have the same interests as the universities. They get their employees involved, meet our scholars, and become financial supporters. We want these corporations involved now, giving internships and creating openings. I take them to task: Help me develop these kids so they are ready for the real world.
How do you identify prospects and find people to come to the program?
Word of mouth as well as school district and community recruitment events. The kids tell their friends what they are up to after school, or that they are going to a science fair or for a college visit, and demand just multiplies. During the summer, they show up five days a week for seven weeks at STEM camp. During the academic school year, our pre-college program is one to two days a week. And we work with coaches and administrators to make sure they can do both sports and after-school science.
What is the biggest challenge you face, and how do you overcome it?
I think the biggest challenge is resources. We are always looking for qualified volunteers, qualified staff. The second challenge is making sure we are able to fulfill the many needs of our scholars, since more and more students want to be in the program.
We don’t turn anyone away who wants to join and who is committed to the academic rigors of the program. All of a sudden, I have 340 Scholars. Two years ago, we had just over 100 active members. That is all through word of mouth and recruitment, through kids and parents sharing their experience with YMWIC. The community just took off. So the biggest challenge is just maintaining the resources to support the demand.
How does someone benefit from the program?
The main benefit is confidence. They gain the attitude: “I can do this!” Once these scholars have confidence, then they can build the competence to pursue a career in the sciences or in any field they choose. They may not end up in a STEM job, but acquiring confidence guarantees they will be successful at whatever they end up doing.
We ask them to repeat a credo that starts with: “I am a young scholar in charge!” They internalize that they are in charge of their own destiny. They learn to invest in themselves and make a commitment to their futures.
One of the avenues happens to be STEM, but the bigger picture is that they are becoming the best version of themselves they can be. Kids sometimes say, “I want to be LeBron James.” I tell them there is a LeBron James in every industry. Bring all your skills and your talent. That’s how you get to be the LeBron James of your field.
When someone donates to YMWIC, what does the money help you do, specifically?
Everything is expensive, especially transportation — that’s a killer. We received a donated van four years ago. And we do the best to maintain it, but we could use another one. Some of the small things add up, like school supplies.
All our scholars have to wear a uniform when we do events. A navy blue blazer, a polo shirt, and khakis. We would love to be in a position where when our scholars join our program, we can afford to buy them their blazer! When they go on a campus visit, present their science project, or shadow someone’s job on career day, we ask them to dress professionally. When they dress professionally it sets the tone.
Can you explain the day-to-day operations and what a typical day looks like?
The formal curriculum includes three categories: hands-on STEM topics, academic and career readiness, and essential skills.” Examples of hands-on STEM skills include coding, electronics, biology, and chemistry. Examples of academic and career readiness include SAT prep, math and science remediation, college tours, job shadowing, and summer internships. Examples of essential skills are personal branding, cyberbullying awareness, and financial literacy. We also offer parent programs like financial literacy.
What impact are you having on the lives of the scholars you work with?
We get letters from former scholars all the time telling us how YMWIC changed their lives. One recent letter from a grandparent was a testimonial about what the program has done for her grandchild. Another scholar wrote to tell us that before she joined our program, she was scared to be around people. Now, she speaks to crowds all the time. She was on the Mathounts team. We want children to take charge of themselves and that is what happens. It starts with confidence and it spills over into every other aspect of their lives.
What’s been your biggest win to date?
When a former or current scholar gets a job! When they are able to be in a position to make a contribution to society, that’s a win. That is the ultimate goal. Our oldest alumni are in their early 30s and they write to us with updates and success stories all the time. That’s a win.
What do you wish people understood about the community you serve?
We have to help people become empathetic and understand that there are inequities. This person is no different from that person. We just have to give them opportunities.
That is what “the village” concept is all about. Yes, they are underrepresented in STEM. But look at me: Back when I was a 25 year old in England, I was working on a Jaguar project as the only person of color for miles around. Now, I see rooms full of scholars of color and we are giving them opportunities. We are also giving colleges and corporations opportunities to change what certain fields look like.
PHILLY QUICK ROUND
Favorite place to eat: The Capital Grille. My go-to meal there is the sea bass.
Favorite place to relax: On the golf course. There are quite a few I go to in the area.
Favorite Philly sports team? The Eagles. Go Birds!
You don’t know Philly until you’ve… taken a stroll on West River Drive (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive). Or, take that stroll down Kelly Drive.
Why I love Philly and want to give back: This community helped me get to where I am. And that’s why I am back in the community, giving back.
LUCY DANZIGER is a journalist, an author, and the former editor-in-chief of Self Magazine, Women’s Sports & Fitness, and The Beet.
Philly Gives content is supported by the Philadelphia Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and The Lenfest Institute; and produced independently by INQStudio. To learn more about Philly Gives, including how to donate, visit phillygives.org.