APPENDIX FULL LISTING OF COMMENTS IN EACH RECURRING THEME
28 Ability to improve personal and professional leadership skills
• My involvement with NSBE has given me exposure to many avenues to expand my leadership skills, be involved in my community, and enhance myself professionally. I’m a believer in “you get out what you put in”, so involvement is key. • NSBE has made my college experience as amazing as it has been. They were my first friends grown family, my study buddies, my support system, my advisor and mentor, and my professional connoisseur. The mission of NSBE is something I live by and strive to achieve every day. I appreciate the professionalism, leadership, and open mindedness that NSBE has taught me and I hope everyone can have that same experience. • I would recommend NSBE because of the familial feeling each member gets. You can always find someone who truly understands your situation as a black engineer and opportunities to take your leadership to a whole new level. Because of NSBE I have been able to expand my understanding and application of strategic planning processes and parliamentarian procedures. • “As a pre-NSBE college engineering student, I can attest to the positive benefits that African- American students majoring in a STEM field have received as a result of NSBE. The attrition rate for black pre-NSBE engineering students was high, with probably less than 1 out of 10 completing the program. Internships and co-ops for the most part were non-existent and black engineering graduates did not receive job offers similar to their counterparts. The unification brought about by NSBE slowly, but effectively, improved these situations to the extent that major companies and corporations are eager to have access to the emerging
talent that has been groomed by NSBE to become the leaders of tomorrow in the STEM area. In addition, NSBE SIGs offer an extremely valuable pipeline for NSBE members to be at the forefront for directing policy and obtaining leadership roles in STEM and engineering societies. Furthermore, in addition to enhancing the skill set that African-American students need to effectively compete when they complete their collegiate programs, NSBE creates leaders via providing opportunities for college students to manage a multi-million dollar company, direct major programs (e.g., the NSBE National Convention), and interface with corporate leaders. This is the uniqueness of NSBE and these are only a few reasons that I would recommend NSBE to a friend or colleague. • NSBE Jr exposes students the STEM careers, mentors and valuable communication and leadership skills. My daughter has been a member and served in leadership over 4 years. She starts LEAD in High School in August because of her participation in the competitions and interest in Science and Technology. She found students with similar interests in NSBE. • NSBE has so many professional opportunities available. I can speak to it myself because I have secured a co-op in a field I am very interested in. The community within NSBE is extremely welcoming. I have developed my strongest relationships in college through NSBE, even though my chapter is not very developed. I have stepped into leadership, encouraging black engineers to persist and promoting the vision of NSBE. (The former is much easier than the latter, which is my frustration right now.)
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Stakeholder Pulse Checks 28
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