SoCon Academic Exchange Southern Conference

VMI Club Extends Opportunities for Minority STEM Majors

LEXINGTON, Va. – According to Maj. Wakeel Idewu, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, confidence is a key element to academic and professional success, especially for minorities.

That’s why he spearheaded VMI’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, more commonly known as NSBE. The group was organized earlier this year, with membership open to all cadets, regardless of minority status. There’s a special focus on helping cadets achieve not only in engineering, but also in all of the STEM fields, which include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The idea for a VMI chapter of NSBE came about after Idewu and six cadets attended the organization’s national convention, held in Nashville, Tenn., last spring.

“[The conference] was really good because you saw the other minorities getting exposure,” said Cadet Damian Jones ’16, who attended that gathering and later helped to organize the NSBE group at VMI under Idewu’s guidance.

And while exposure may have been the goal, it was not the only result of last year’s trip. One cadet who attended, Antonio Wood ’14, landed a job as a result of an interview at the NSBE convention, while Jones found a summer internship with a construction company. Two other cadets presented research.

It was experiences such as these that motivated Idewu to bring NSBE to VMI.

Idewu explained that he’d attended an NSBE convention while an undergraduate at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and found the experience to be pivotal. “I didn’t feel like [the VMI cadets] were getting exposed to the same thing,” said Idewu. “What got me motivated, thinking, ‘I can do this, I belong in engineering,’ was seeing everybody else.”

“When you are a minority, you only see a few people who are in the same situation. I only had one or two classmates who were minorities,” he added. “I had the sense that that motivation was needed at VMI as well.”

Idewu and six cadets will be traveling later this month to the 2015 NSBE convention, to be held in Anaheim, Calif. Ten members of the VMI Board of Visitors have contributed funds toward their expenses.

Accompanying Idewu this year will be Jones, Paul Conteh ’18, Brice Tucker ’18, Mia McLain ’18, Deborah Alison ’18, and Buka Anwah ’18.

The preponderance of 4th Class cadets is far from accidental. “It’s a progression,” explained Idewu. “The idea is to get people involved in the organization early, … give them some confidence and encourage them to reach higher.”

He added that while no one is presenting research this year, that’s simply because so many of this year’s participants are still in their first year at VMI. “What I would love to see is that … everyone who is a 1st [Class cadet] traveling to the convention [will] have something that is good enough to present there,” said Idewu.

Attending the annual convention, though, is only a small part of what NSBE does. In the fall, the group focuses on developing academic skills, with the goal that all members attain a 3.2 grade-point average. To help cadets achieve that goal, Idewu shares suggestions for improving one’s academic performance, such as sitting close to the front of the room and reviewing notes as soon as possible after class.

In the spring, Idewu works with the cadets on professional skills, such as coming up with an “elevator pitch” used to sell oneself to a new contact, writing a resume, and going on an interview.

Outreach is also a critical part of NSBE. This year, four members of the group – Jones, Conteh, Emmanuel Cooper ’15, and Christopher Copeland ’15 – helped out with Engineers Week, which brings dozens of middle schoolers to post each year to explore engineering concepts.

In preparation for Engineers Week, Conteh built a replica of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and used that replica to give a demonstration of the effects of pressure on the beams.

“It’s interaction with the kids, showing them that engineering is a very interesting field,” said Conteh.

Looking forward, Idewu would like to see the outreach efforts expand, with cadets traveling to local schools to give demonstrations. He’d also like to see mentorships develop between current cadets and alumni who are working in the STEM fields.

“Mentorships bring people through tough situations, and they help with retention,” Idewu noted.

It’s that desire to give back to others that has motivated Jones to attend this year’s NSBE convention, despite the fact that he already has another summer internship lined up.

“Honestly, this year’s trip isn’t about myself,” Jones acknowledged. “This year’s trip is dedicated to the 4th [Class cadets]. I want to help them get their feet wet and watch them grow as individuals. I want to see them talk more comfortably when they are talking to individuals with power, and most definitely have confidence.”

Jones, Conteh, Cooper, and Copeland are all members of VMI’s NCAA football team.

– Mary Price