PITTSBURGH (Dec. 17, 2019) — “To cultivate and develop
male-identifying black youth into realizing they are Future Kings — young,
successful leaders in their careers, in their communities, and in their
worlds.”
That is the mantra and mission statement for Future
Kings Mentoring, the brainchild of Swanson School of Engineering students
Terrell Galloway and Isreal Williams and Sean Spencer, a Duquesne University student
studying journalism and web design. The group’s idea is one of 30 winning
projects in the Changemaker
Competition, sponsored by T-Mobile in partnership with Ashoka. Participants
range in age from 13 to 23 and seek to drive social change in technology, the
environment or education.
The team’s goal is to address the crippling psychological
effects on black men that stem from a history of slavery, Jim Crow-era laws and
mass incarceration. They believe that by mentoring young, black,
male-identifying students, they can stop the cycle by encouraging them and
showing that they are capable of great success.
“At some point in our early lives, we found ourselves in
situations that exposed the harsh realities of our society. Some hardships are
watching the kids we play with go to jail at young ages and being afraid during
daily activities in our own neighborhoods,” says Galloway, who is studying
mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School. “Thankfully,
we found spaces that gave us hope for the future by showing us better than the
struggles we knew.”
“We are anomalies and our stories are not the norm for
others with our background. Future Kings Mentoring exists to be that greater
place in the Pittsburgh community to make our experience the standard,” adds Williams,
who is studying industrial engineering. “We want to reject the narrative handed
to us, and leave a legacy of hope, opportunity, and holistic wellness.”
The team hopes that by will be able to begin recruitment
efforts in the Pittsburgh area by Summer 2020, looking to establish
partnerships with local organizations.
The 30 winning Changemaker teams receive a trip to the
Changemaker Lab at the T-Mobile Headquarters in Seattle for a two-day workshop
in February 2020, where they will receive mentorship, seed funding, training
and support to make their ideas a reality.
“I’ve worked with Terrell and Isreal through the
INVESTING NOW program and can’t communicate how proud I am of them,” says Steven
Abramowitch, PhD, associate professor of bioengineering. “All three of these
young men are doing amazing things, and I’m excited to watch their successes
grow.”
Maggie Pavlick, 12/17/2019
Contact: Maggie Pavlick