With the support of over 20 male volunteers, Cultivating Leaders launched its initial community service program, “Visionary Men,” at Lake Marion High in the Orangeburg County School District. Visionary Men provides an opportunity for male youth in grades 3-12 to enhance their relationships with peers, assist them in personal development and promote better relationships through a framework of service, responsibility and friendship.
According to the 2020 U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics Report, Black/African Americans make up only 5.4% of engineering careers. As a professional in the engineering field, Rush understands the importance of the access to build STEM basics. This year, the organization will pilot programs to create soft skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for students enrolled in Cultivating Leaders.
To make an ever bigger impact in communities with a high population of underserved youth, the program has a partnership with The Live Connect Mobile STEM Truck. The truck is a mobile classroom that visits rural areas and provides STEM resources to students and educators and offers hands-on activities equipped with electronics, robotics engineering, and mobile app development.
The STEM Truck — owned by Dr. Karina Liles, assistant professor for the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Claflin University — creates an opportunity for students of Cultivating Leaders to grow a love for science. The partnership will provide an opportunity for Cultivating Leaders to inspire youth to become young innovators, collaborate with their peers, and work independently.
