By James Laird | Reporter
At Baylor, the National Society of Black Engineers supports and provides community for African American students in STEM fields. The club is a chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers which offers opportunities in professional development, social gatherings, community service and trips to the NSBE national convention.
The NSBE organization aims to “equip all students and professionals with the technical expertise, leadership skills, and industry connections needed to drive economic and technological progress,” according to their website.
“Baylor’s specific chapter for NSBE, we are mostly catered to professional development, but also mentoring, in allowing just Black students in general to have a space just to speak about how they are going throughout being a minority in that specific field,” Dallas senior Chanel Frazier, NSBE’s secretary, said.
NSBE has about 40 members ranging from freshmen to seniors. Frazier said that the seniors help provide guidance for the younger students in being a minority demographic in STEM fields.
“So just being able to have that safe space for freshmen to come right in and be able to talk to us, which most of us are seniors and juniors, so we have some time under our belt already,” Frazier said. “So they’re able to just come talk to us about the classes we’ve already taken so that we can help them be the best student they can be.”
The national convention is an opportunity NSBE provides its members, where they have the opportunity to meet with other chapters from schools across the country. The convention also provides opportunities for professional development and networking with over 200 hiring companies, Frazier said.
“I know that 200 plus chapters came, and so just being able to see so many people that looked like us that are going down the same path in STEM, it was really, really nice,” Frazier said.
Fort Worth senior Giana Grace is NSBE’s social media chair and said that the club’s impact comes from providing a community for underrepresented people in the field of STEM.
“[NSBE] kind of gives that sense of community — especially when you might be one or two people that look like you in a class, or things like that,” Grace said.
Grace said she is excited for the future of NSBE and hopes to see the club grow and continue to provide a support system for African American students in STEM.
“I feel like it helps, especially for black people to have that sense of help and community to go further in their field,” Grace said. “So I think just having that encouragement, resources and also people that are older than you — that have been in your field — to help assist you is a huge thing.”
Frazier emphasized that anyone can join NSBE, not just engineering students. She said that their Instagram and the Baylor connect page are great places to connect or to just come to a meeting.
“We stress that we want everyone to feel welcomed and feel they can come to us for anything,” Frazier said. “So just being able to show everyone that we are here on this campus, and we are here to make sure that everyone feels welcome in this space.”
