by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief Since Black Panther has premiered and has inspired so many, both young and old, let’s talk about some other black superheroes: black engineers. While Princess Shuri may lead Wakanda in her engineering and technological advancements, in America, the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) field is severely lacking in it’s minority population. According to a study done by National Science Foundation, in 2015, out of 1,716,000 Black or African American persons, only 45,000 had a Bachelor’s in an Engineering field, 26,000 had a Master’s, and only 3,000 had a Doctorate. (Compared to 808,000 for Bachelor’s, 343,000 for Master’s, and 59,000 for Doctorate for White people).
There are a few black engineers on campus, but the numbers are scarce. According to Saama Davies, he’s the only African American electrical engineer in the classes that he takes in graduate school. He also stated that he may be the only one period, but it’s possible that he may have somehow just missed them. He expressed that there are a few students who may not identify as African American, but African, as there are a few students who are from another country. For many, especially on a predominantly-white institution such as UTC, being the only black person in your class isn’t something new, but to be the only black person in your whole program? Unfortunately, that’s also not something that’s new, and for many, that can be very discouraging. For Davies, he knows that that’s what he’ll encounter in the real world. “From what I’ve seen in the world, through my internships, this is not really a misrepresentation. There’s a lack of people of color in the engineering field.” Davies wants to go into “electronics” and he wanted the opportunity to get more experience in his field through graduate school. He’s happy with the program that he’s in and has stated that with each passing year, UTC has improved itself in terms of adding new teachers, adjusting curriculum, and creating different structures for classes that makes it easier to get more out of the program. Considering the fact that he is getting so much out of the program, why aren’t more minorities interested in the field? Davies felt as though there are a “lot of people who are qualified and dedicated enough to be engineers, and could make a name for themselves in the field, but it’s not happening: it’s not really an option in their mind.” Davies explained that it goes into a bigger issue of American education and the amount of exposure to engineering that black students receive, or lack thereof. “When you open kids’ minds to all of the different possibilities of what a STEM major can be, whether that’s coding, podcasting, or making movies, it can be a kind of lightbulb moment.” Davies recently started working at TechTown, a company in Chattanooga that does just that: exposes minority students to computer science and engineering in the hopes of that lightbulb moment. Davies claimed that he’s no superhero, and that he’s just an “average” guy, but there’s definitely something that we should all be thanking him for: working in the community to expose minority students to his field, and paving the way for more black engineers to follow in his footsteps. If you don’t believe that Black engineers are indeed superheroes, read this link: https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/famous-black-engineers.htm “Data Tables.” Data Tables - nsf.Gov - Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering - NCSES - US National Science Foundation (NSF), National Science Foundation, 1 Jan. 2017, www.nsf.gov/statistics/2017/nsf17310/data.cfm.
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by Adeola I., Staff Writer “I wanted to be a member of an organization that is actively trying to make a change. I am white and live in the U.S., so I think it is important for me to use my privileges to be a voice for those who do not typically have one. HOLA allows me to have an outlet to do so.”
Britany Green is a sophomore at UTC double majoring in Liberal Arts and Spanish. She hopes to “make a difference by encouraging others to celebrate the differences among us,” and is dedicated to educating herself, and others, on diversity and its importance. Green is the Vice President of HOLA, the Hispanic Outreach Leadership Association. She described HOLA as an organization dedicated to creating events that raise awareness on the issues that Latino and Hispanic people face. HOLA also hosts events that demonstrate Latin and Hispanic culture. Currently, HOLA is in the process of organizing a fundraiser, with the Theta Rho Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., for disaster relief in Mexico City and Puerto Rico to contribute to aid efforts for the recent earthquake and hurricane. Green also helped coordinate HOLA’s events planned for the remainder of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from September 15 to October 15. On October 10th, HOLA and the Multicultural Center are screening the documentary, “Black in Latin America.” On October 23th, there will be a Latin American Dance Exhibition, and on October 30th, a Latin dance instructor will come teach interested students the dance style, bachata. Green emphasized that anyone is welcome to join HOLA. She stated that, “You do not have to speak Spanish, and you do not have to have any extensive knowledge of Latin America. We just ask that you be open-minded, motivated, and willing to help us make a difference.” HOLA meets every Monday at 5:00 p.m. in the UC Fortwood room. by Adeola I., Staff Writer On a regular weekend in September, while most nineteen-year olds were out indulging in various recreational activities, Elena Nourabadi was taking her naturalization exam in the hopes of officially becoming a U.S. citizen.
She was born in Khorramabad, Iran in the spring of 1998. At the age of four, her parents, who lived in the city Esfahan at the time, adopted and welcomed her into their hearts and home. After working in the United States for some time, the Nourabadis officially migrated to the United States, leaving Iran behind. Her parents were informed that they needed to re-adopt her on American soil, but due to certain circumstances, they were not able to complete this process. At the age of eighteen, she began her journey to U.S. citizenship by filing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The next step in the process required her to send in requested personal documents. She then had to get her biometrics taken, be interviewed, and take English and civics tests. The final step in the process is a ceremony in which she will take an Oath of Allegiance. (Yes, this is the real process. Want to know more? Visit www.uscis.gov.) When asked what she identifies herself as, from the options of American, Iranian-American, or other, she confidently answered, “ Iranian-American…,” she went on to explain, “... because I was born in Iran, I was raised with an Iranian culture, my parents are Iranian, my whole life has been Persian besides outside my family. That’s where the American comes in. I was raised in America, my friends are American, I talk American, I look American. ” When asked what it means to be an American, she responded, “I would say being American in this day and age means I have the right to be who I want to be, say what I want to say. In Iran there is no way I could openly speak my opinions on politics or go to the rallies and marches that I’ve been to. I have a lot more opportunities because I am American. and that's what I am most grateful for.” One virtue she expressed that was necessary over the duration of her journey to citizenship was patience. The process of naturalization is one that can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. She described how she would check the mailbox every single day to see if her interview letter had arrived. She also mentioned how expensive the process was, considering she had to file for citizenship on multiple occasions. She spoke on how her trek to citizenship, or being American, began long before she filed for naturalization. “This journey has taught me that people love paperwork,” she joked. “Most people my age just came out as American and did not have to try for any of it, but my whole life has been trying to be an American.” Learning how to fit in with Americans and remembering that many Americans do not understand the Iranian culture, or her “Persian ways,” was often very difficult. When asked how this experience sets her apart from her peers, she explained, “It makes me unique, proud of who I am. I like telling people I’m from Iran because it’s important to me. And other people like telling me about their American lives and I think that's what being American means: we all come from different places and different backgrounds and we can all still come together and be one unified group.” |
Author's NoteWelcome to The Torch: Reborn, your multicultural newspaper. Archives
February 2018
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