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Boeing, Clemson partner on initiative for men of color

Molly Hulsey //July 12, 2021//

Boeing, Clemson partner on initiative for men of color

Molly Hulsey //July 12, 2021//

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NBA star Marvin ‰ŰĎMagic‰Űť Johnson speaks at last year's Clemson University Men of Color National Summit. (Photo/Provided)Boeing wants to inspire more Latino and Black men to enter the state’s STEM and advanced manufacturing fields — with the help of Clemson University.

The aerospace company announced its sponsorship of Clemson’s 2021 Men of Color National Summit, support of Call Me Mister graduates through a workforce development program and a full STEM Tiger Alliance Scholarship today.

“The Boeing Co. is proud to partner with Clemson University to support young men of color on their journey to prepare for college and long-term success,” Jennifer Lowe, vice president of national strategy and engagement for Boeing, said in a news release. “Clemson’s academic excellence and national reach provide an opportunity to build on our commitment to advance racial equity and invest in the next generation of leaders.”

ColbertTed Colbert, executive vice president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, will speak at the summit, scheduled for Nov. 4-5 in Greenville, while the company will finance the attendance fee for 400 Tiger Alliance students and 100 students from South Carolina’s Interstate-95 corridor. In addition, the investment establishes a STEM track for attendees.

The historically sold-out summit is centered around closing the opportunity gap for Black and Latino high school men and focuses on career and professional development; entrepreneurship; masculinity and personal identity; retention rates, graduation and student achievement; and social and community engagement, according to the release.

The new STEM Tiger Alliance Scholarship will cover the total cost of attendance for a Black or Latino male student pursuing a field in science, technology, engineering or mathematics over the course of four years. The first scholarship recipient, Alejandro Jaramill, graduated from Greenville’s Legacy Early College High School in May 2021 and will be a student in the Clemson University College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences this fall.

Tiger Alliance is a college-access program designed to create pathways to college and build a college-going culture for Black and Latino high school students in the Upstate.

Participants benefit from access to information about college fairs and expos, a mentoring relationship with a current college student, college-prep workshops, college tours and attendance at Clemson’s Men of Color National Summit, according to the release.

Boeing also will support graduates of Clemson’s Call Me Mister program, which strives to create minority male teachers, through the company’s DreamLearners support system. The aerospace giant will offer graduates priority access for a virtual tour of the 787 final assembly facility in North Charleston, tips on future employment opportunities and hands-on learning activities for their classrooms

“Boeing leads the way in recognizing the value of a diverse workforce and putting the muscle behind building an infrastructure to ensure its success,” Lee Gill, Clemson’s chief diversity officer and special assistant to the president, said in the release. “We cannot thank them enough for sharing their vision and investment in South Carolina’s promising young men of color, and we look forward to the continued growth of this partnership and our programming to benefit those within our state and beyond.

Boeing has leveraged the company’s relationship with the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance to initiate additional partnerships between Clemson and other national partners supporting young men of color.

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