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Celebrating Black History Month with NSBE

To celebrate Black History Month this February here at the School of Engineering, we want to highlight the TCNJ chapter of The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Get to know the 2021-2022 E-board and be sure to follow the organization on Instagram @nsbe_tcnj to stay updated on their upcoming events, such as their “Breaking Barriers in STEM” event on Wednesday, February 23rd at 7PM in STEM 102: Our event will highlight the monumental breakthroughs of Black People in STEM. This will branch off into a conversation about where Black people and people of color (POC) are currently at today.  Overall, this event will bring awareness to the obstacles and benefits of being a POC in STEM.

– Anisa Lateef ‘22

 

President: Drayen Glover

Drayen Glover

 

Hometown: Trenton, NJ 

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hobbies: Painting, Dancing, Traveling

@TCNJ (clubs, sports, greek life, research…):  

School of Engineering DEI Ad Hoc Committee, Conduct Standards Board, NSBE

Please tell us a bit about your personal and professional background and what drew you towards pursuing a degree in engineering.

What drew me towards pursuing a degree in engineering is my love for math and physics. Throughout high school I enjoyed doing math a lot. I also always enjoyed process improvement at jobs, because I’ve always been able to analyze what designs, processes, etc. need to be improved!

How do you bring your background & identity to your college life?

I contribute my background and identity to my college life by being myself! There’s always something to learn from someone’s background, and I am open about mine for others to learn from.

Why is it important/meaningful to celebrate one’s heritage to you?

Is important to celebrate one’s heritage, because it builds a stronger understanding of other cultures. It is also unique as it varies from person to person.

Any advice you want to share with someone considering engineering?

If you are considering majoring in engineering it is going to take a lot of work, but if you love it will be well worth it! Engineering is a very sophisticated major and requires great integrity for the safety of those around you.

 

Vice President: Angel Solano

Angel Solano

 

Hometown: West New York, New Jersey

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hobbies: Sports, Video Games, Legos, History

@TCNJ (clubs, sports, greek life, research…):
P.R.I.D.E Mentoring Program, Press PAWs

Please tell us a bit about your personal and professional background and what drew you towards pursuing a degree in engineering.
I liked math and physics growing up so I knew I wanted to go into that field. In high school, I gotthe opportunity to join the engineering club and through that I decided I wanted to do engineering as it was the best of both worlds.

How do you bring your background & identity to your college life?
I bring my background and identity through my efforts in NSBE and some of my other organizations.

Why is it important/meaningful to celebrate one’s heritage to you?
For me, heritage and culture are rich in meaning, history, and change that they’re too big to ignore and not celebrate.

Any advice you want to share with someone considering engineering?
Engineering is going to be rough, but it is worth it because you are learning centuries of innovation, tools, and techniques and using it to find new ways to improve society.

Secretary: Diamond Evans

Diamond Evans

 

Hometown: Somerset, NJ

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hobbies: Cooking, Making jewelry, Painting

@TCNJ (clubs, sports, greek life, research…): 

Outdoor Club, First year liaison for TCNJ American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Gaming club (I want to join more) 

Please tell us a bit about your personal and professional background and what drew you towards pursuing a degree in engineering.

As a kid, I liked to take things apart and put them together. The mechanical parts and circuits of machines were always intriguing to me. My mom always said I was smart so I put my creativity and mind together and engineering made the most sense. I can’t really see myself being in a different major. It’s challenging but I like it.

How do you bring your background & identity to your college life?

Well my background is me, everything I experienced and have been through is displayed in the person I am now and present myself. I don’t stick to one sole demographic. Yes I am black, but genetically I am much more and I like to learn those different parts, for example I’m part Jamaican, Chinese, and Dominican, so I like to cook the cuisine from all those countries. A lot of people feel like they have to be one thing, I bring my duality to my college life. 

Why is it important/meaningful to celebrate one’s heritage to you?

I think it’s important to celebrate one’s heritage because knowing where you came from shows how far you have come even if it wasn’t your journey alone. For example there was a time when African Americans couldn’t vote and now we can, even if I personally didn’t have the experience, it shows what we accomplished together.

Any advice you want to share with someone considering engineering? 

If you’re considering engineering my best advice would be if you feel strongly about it, don’t give up when the work gets tough because it will. Instead, get a group of engineers and work together. One thing about engineers is that we work together to get the job done.

 

Program Chair: Bev Cadet

Bev Cadet

 

Hometown: Neptune, NJ

Major: Computer Engineering

Hobbies: Playing the violin, Painting, Running 

@TCNJ (clubs, sports, greek life, research…): 

Student Manager of Residential Operations (SMRO) for TCNJ’s LakeSide community, a jumper on the Track and Field team, president of the Haitian Student Association & webmaster of NSBE. 

Please tell us a bit about your personal and professional background and what drew you towards pursuing a degree in engineering.

Growing up I always was into technology and problem solving. In an industry that is always growing, I took interest in helping in the advancement of technology. 

How do you bring your background & identity to your college life?

I take my identity wherever I go. Having Haitian and Dominican heritage, it’s so much of a part of me I can’t conceal nor would I want to. I wear my cultures proudly and it helps me connect with other Afro Latinx or black individuals. 

Why is it important/meaningful to celebrate one’s heritage to you?

It’s important to celebrate everyone’s culture because it makes you who you are. I myself am a multifaceted woman and would not be able to impact the world of STEM without celebrating who I am. 

Any advice you want to share with someone considering engineering?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek leadership. It’s a vast field and not everything will work for you, but never give up because you will eventually find your niche in the field. There’s so much to discover so have fun doing it!