LBUSD: Black Engineers Offer Summer Program

Press release from the Long Beach Unified School District:

June 17, 2021

The National Society of Black Engineers is holding its virtual three-week Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) from July 19 to Aug. 6, and 222 elementary students in the Long Beach Unified School District are registered to participate. This is the first year students in LBUSD will experience SEEK, which has outnumbered enrollment here compared to other program regions.  

SEEK is a free three-week engineering immersion program designed to introduce third through fifth graders in underrepresented communities to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The program’s mission is to increase elementary school students’ aptitude in math and science and their interest in pursuing engineering careers. SEEK students engage in interactive, team-based engineering projects that are led by NSBE collegiate students and industry professionals, who serve as program facilitators. SEEK will return to its traditional, in-person program format in summer 2022.    

Philanthropic partner, The Boeing Company, connected LBUSD with NSBE in an effort to support the district’s racial equity in STEM initiatives. Boeing donated more than $10 million toward racial equity and social justice programs last year, including to LBUSD, to support programs aimed at creating a culture of college expectation and success for Black students and other students of color. Phil Jones, NSBE’s Senior Manager of Fund Development and Programs, shared his excitement about bringing the SEEK program to Long Beach noting, “without The Boeing Company, this would not be possible.” 

For more information about NSBE, contact Phil Jones at pljones@nsbe.org.

This press release was produced by the Long Beach Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.