PCI Chapter of the Year!
The San Antonio City Wide NSBE Jr. Chapter
Photo by Paul Robinson
Four 2010–11 officers of the San Antonio City Wide NSBE Jr. Chapter, NSBE’s Pre-College Initiative Chapter of the Year – (left to right) Front Row: Jacqueline J. Thompson and Yosef Ansarizadeh. Back Row: Robert Franklin II and Ronald Heisser
In the fall of 2006, high school senior David Thompson was looking for college scholarships. He came across the NSBE Try-Math-A-Lon program (TMAL). When he realized it was a team competition, he recruited his two brothers, Michael and Jonathan Thompson, and four of his friends, Christopher Davidson, Alexandra Lyday, Jasmine Kent and Jonathan Williams, to form two TMAL teams. But he needed a coach. He asked his father, Karl Thompson, an electrical engineer, if he had heard about NSBE and discovered that his dad had been a member of NSBE in college. His dad agreed not only to coach the team but also serve as the advisor to a NSBE Jr. chapter in their home city, San Antonio, Texas.
And so this year’s NSBE Pre-College Initiative Chapter of the Year was born: the San Antonio City Wide NSBE Jr. Chapter. In 2006, the members attended their first NSBE Fall Regional Conference, in Kansas City, Mo., and were hooked. They were amazed to see other African-American students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and were inspired by the NSBE collegiate and professional members who were networking at the event. Within a few months, the chapter had expanded to more than 30 members from the San Antonio area.
The students quickly took on NSBE’s mission to “excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.” They started ACT/SAT classes to help high school students get into college and to improve their own math skills for TMAL. One of the chapter’s first community service programs was an SAT tutoring program for 7th grade students who were taking the SAT as part of the Duke Talent Identification program. This program was taught by NSBE Alumni members and high school NSBE Jr. students.
Main Attractions
Over the past five years, more than 300 students have joined the chapter, and the chapter has maintained a membership of at least 100 students each year. As Chapter Advisor Karl Thompson says, “Students join NSBE for a variety of reasons: some are interested in STEM, while others want to improve their ACT/SAT scores or sharpen their leadership skills.”
The chapter now provides programs for students in the 1st through 12th grades. It focuses on programs that enhance analytical skills and build the foundation necessary to succeed at the SAT/ACT, such as Kid Zone for elementary students, MATHCOUNTS for middle school students and TMAL for high school students. The students participate in robotics programs so they can build technical and team-building skills. Some students also participate in science fair competitions on the local, state and national levels. This year, the chapter expanded its programs to include the National Science Bowl competition on the high school level.
Chapter members have had unmatched success in going to college and majoring in STEM. All of the chapter’s seniors have graduated from high school: approximately 33 students since 2007. Of these 33, approximately one third have pursued STEM majors in college: four are attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one is attending Yale University, two are attending Georgia Tech, one attended Louisiana State University, one is attending Stanford University, one is attending the University of Mississippi, one is attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, and one is attending the U.S. Naval Academy. Over the past five years, San Antonio City Wide members have been awarded more than $3 million in college scholarships and have solicited more than $50,000 in corporate donations for chapter programs.
Enjoying the Journey
Attending and competing at the NSBE Annual Convention is the exciting culmination of a year of preparation by the students. But the students of San Antonio City Wide never realized how special the 2011 convention would be. In St. Louis, the chapter won the TMAL World competition, for the first time; the national Engineering Design Competition at the middle school and high school levels; second and third place in the TMAL USA competition; second and third place in the high school Science Fair competition and third place in the inaugural MATHCOUNTS Competition.
And the cash prize awards from NSBE are a great motivator for the students! In 2010–11, San Antonio City Wide students won more than $10,000 in stipend and prize awards. But the icing on the cake was the Golden Torch Awards. John Paul Robinson, the 2010–11 chapter vice president, received this year’s Pre-College Initiative Student of the Year (Male) Award, which was presented by none other than LL Cool J. And if that wasn’t enough reason to celebrate, the chapter was surprised to receive recognition as the Pre-College Initiative Chapter of the Year.
When asked what the chapter’s goals are for the future, current chapter president and rising senior Ronald Heisser says, “Our mission is the Mission! We want to continue to expand our student base, improve our academic achievements and focus on increasing the number of female students who pursue STEM careers. This year, we are forming a few all-female robotics and math teams to further this goal.”
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