Honoring Black History Month with Career Readiness Resources from the STEM Careers Coalition

The STEM Careers Coalition – the first-of-its-kind national STEM initiative powered by corporate leaders?and anchored in schools by Discovery Education – is connecting students to a curated collection of dynamic careers content celebrating Black leaders in STEM during Black History Month and beyond. The array of on-demand resources and an engaging event both introduce and deepen students’ connections to STEM through real-world content.

Building on the achievement of reaching 4.5 million students in its mission to support the next generation of diverse STEM solution-seekers, the Coalition presents a robust array of career profiles featuring diverse leaders across various industries and job roles. Included in the curated collection are career profile videos featuring Black leaders like science communications manager Nicole Epps at Procter and Gamble (P&G), Microsoft program manager Wadood Daoud, engineering project manager Antoine Sands at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), reliability engineer Korede Oluwasuji at Stanley Black & Decker, and many more. The videos are accompanied by career preparatory materials engaging students in the world of STEM by helping them focus on their career goals with simple strategies, roadmaps, and other easy-to-use digital tools. 

Students, educators, and families can take the learning further with a Hands-On STEM event on February 22nd featuring Coalition partners the American Petroleum Institute and P&G. The action-packed event empowers the next generation of STEM solution seekers with the skills they need to take on some of the planet’s greatest sustainability challenges. Host Brandon Okpalobi will introduce students to a local or global issue, explore why it is happening, connect with inspiring people working to find solutions, and help student solution seekers uncover their own potential with exciting Hands-On STEM activities. 

“Both research and experience show that diverse representation is critical to helping students achieve their STEM dreams. With resources from the STEM Careers Coalition, I can easily help my students see themselves in STEM while also connecting the wider world to the classroom,” said Jessie Erickson, a District Assessment Coordinator at Mark Sandford Education Center of the Grand Forks Public School District. 

The partners of the STEM Careers Coalition share a common goal of empowering educators to teach STEM effectively in the classroom with an intentional focus on racial and gender equity. Representing a range of industry sectors, the STEM Careers Coalition seeks to prepare 10 million students for the future of work by 2025 by providing equitable access to digital content and experiences that engage students in instruction, build foundational STEM knowledge, and develop the critical skills students need for college and career success. In 2021, the Coalition welcomed new members Stanley Black & Decker, NAF, Sanofi, DuPont, AstraZeneca, Keysight Technologies, Capital Power, and TGR Foundation. 

All resources are available at no-cost at stemcareerscoalition.org, and through Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform on the STEM Careers channel.