SMASH and Spelman College Partner to Diversify Tech Industry
Photo by Gofiwa Kgang from Pexels
Black women are often not exposed to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) career paths during their high school years as much as their white counterparts. While more Black women are seeking STEM degrees, only a tiny percentage of the workforce comprises women of color (Pew Research Center). To help diversify the tech industry, SMASH, a STEM non-profit, and Spelman College are partnering up to support high schoolers of color.
SMASH’s mission is to address educational inequities that can hinder the academic success of students of color. Their partnership with Spelman is an expansion of existing efforts, as they have worked with Morehouse College on similar projects for the last five years, as reported by AP News.
The program will begin in July with a cohort of scholars engaging in a three-week summer experience. Two weeks of the program will include a residency at Spelman, where scholars will explore the campus and take introductory courses in coding. In addition, the program’s cohort will take part in Spelman’s initiative, “The Future is Intersectional,” in which several lectures “centering the value an intersectional lens brings to the development and utilization of technology in our society” (Spelman College).
Danielle Rose, CEO of SMASH, made the following statement on the new program (via WFMZ):
“As a proud Spelman College Alumna and graduate of the Dual-Degree Engineering Program from Georgia Tech, I know the power of being immersed in Black excellence for a Black woman, particularly in STEM, and it is a privilege to partner with the country’s leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” said Rose. “As we see a worsening racial divide in terms of education quality and access across the U.S., creating spaces that prioritize identity, community impact and culturally relevant coursework is critical to systemically diversifying the STEM fields.”
Eligible applicants must be rising first-year high school students for the 2022-2023 school year. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2022. Learn more here.