CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
HBCU SMART CITY CHALLENGE: SOLUTIONS BY STUDENTS
BY ZERLINE HUGHES SPRUILL
W e are taught that our elders have the experience, knowledge and answers and to look to them for solutions. Modern-day problems, however, may need a fresher perspective, and cities across the country challenged with capacity issues and budget deficits are leaning on the younger generation to trouble- shoot everyday problems, with the help of a non-profit organization that finds HBCU students to save the day for thousands of town, city and county residents around the country. With a monetary award, bragging rights and tangible experience to add to their resumes, HBCU students are participating in the Smart Cities Challenge, a four-month competitive challenge that features problem-solving, pitching, and experiential
education. The purpose of the contest is to get HBCU students comfortable with the idea of design thinking, problem solving, idea pitching and entrepreneurship, all while coming up with real-life, user-friendly solutions for urban areas in need of modernizing an existing program or infrastructure. “We make sure we center HBCU talent as problem solvers,” said Ayinde Simon, co-founder of Pathway Community Foundation which created the HBCU Smart Cities Challenge. “We want our work to write a narrative that positions HBCUs as the hub of innovation and talent for smart cities. These students have everything in them to transform communities and solve real problems in the world, right now.”
co-founded by Ayinde Simon and Kevin Fomengia when the 2017 Jobs Act outlined “opportunity zones” which allowed for entrepreneurs and investors to invest in low-income communities throughout the country, including five U.S. territories. Fomengia and Simon began talking about how to cultivate entrepreneurship in these areas and realized there were about 50 HBCUs located in the opportunity zones. “We envisioned leveraging emerging technologies to transform our communities,” said Simon. “This program offers experiential education for HBCU students, taking lessons from textbooks and applying them to real-life situations. We help cultivate entrepreneurship in these communities but it’s more about how we take the talent in our backyard to change what
our front yard looks like. By empowering the next generation to grow their skill set through solving real-world problems, we ensure they are well-equipped to make a lasting impact.” College students develop Smart City applications for local communities answering a particular need of a jurisdiction. At the end of the challenge, students participate in a grand finale showcase event, and compete in a pitch competition for their share of $10,000. “The Pathway Community Foundation came to our school on Workforce Wednesday where different companies come to the cafeteria to promote themselves,” recalled Zoe Migioni, a rising sophomore at Johnson C. Smith University. “Afterwards, they had an information session in the Career
Smart Cities Challenge was
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