Talent Is Everywhere
Expanding Opportunity Through STEM
When most people think of technology innovators, names such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates often come to mind. But innovation has never belonged to just one group of people. Today, a new and increasingly diverse generation of students is discovering that they, too, can become engineers, programmers, scientists, inventors, and technology entrepreneurs.
STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—has become an important pathway to many of today’s fastest-growing careers. Yet for years, students attending predominantly minority schools often had less access to advanced courses, technology, equipment, and mentors. In many cases, students simply were not exposed to the range of possibilities available to them.
That picture is changing.
Schools serving minority communities are strengthening mathematics and science instruction while building partnerships with colleges, universities, businesses, and community organizations. Mobile STEM labs, robotics programs, coding classes, science competitions, engineering projects, and other hands-on experiences are bringing STEM out of the textbook and into students’ everyday lives.
That exposure can make an important difference. A student who learns to code may begin to imagine a career in software development. Building a robot can spark an interest in engineering. Working in a laboratory may introduce a young person to biomedical research, environmental science, or healthcare technology.
Just as important are the teachers, mentors, scientists, engineers, and technology professionals who help students see what is possible. Meeting people who work in STEM fields—and especially professionals who come from backgrounds similar to their own—can turn an unfamiliar career into an achievable goal.
The growing emphasis on STEM also reflects changes taking place throughout the economy. Technology is no longer confined to technology companies. Healthcare, banking, transportation, communications, entertainment, manufacturing, construction, and even the arts increasingly depend on people with strong scientific, mathematical, analytical, and technological skills.
Preparing students for this future means doing more than teaching them how to use technology. It means developing curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving—the skills that allow young people to become creators and innovators rather than simply consumers of technology.
There is also an important economic dimension. STEM careers can provide pathways to financial stability, entrepreneurship, and leadership. As industries compete for skilled workers, increasing the number of Black and other underrepresented students prepared for these careers is not simply a matter of diversity. It is an investment in talent that our nation cannot afford to overlook.
Challenges remain. Not every school has the same resources, equipment, advanced courses, or access to experienced STEM educators. Closing those gaps will require continued investment and cooperation among schools, colleges, government, corporations, community organizations, and families.
But progress begins when young people are given the opportunity to discover what they can do.
The next great engineer, scientist, software developer, medical researcher, or technology entrepreneur may already be sitting in a classroom in Newark, Harlem, Brooklyn, or another community where talent has always existed.
The task before us is to make sure opportunity exists there, too.
