Introduction
Vice President Kamala Harris is the highest-ranking female in United States history and the first African American and Asian American vice president. She was also the first graduate of a Historically Black College and University to become vice president. Her ‘firsts’ have made her an inspiration to young women and people of color everywhere.
This is a fact that Vice President Harris has not forgotten. Most recently, Vice President Harris visited Hampton University to speak on the importance of STEM education.
Kamala Harris Advocates for the importance of STEM
As National HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Week was coming to an end, Vice President Harris toured Hampton University and took the time to speak with students in STEM fields during a 45-minute roundtable.
During her visit, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the future of these young individuals as well as the United States. Harris said, “We are at the beginning of a new era. We are more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. You are the leaders in this new era. Our nation and our world will require the smart people that you are to lead on issues that require dedication, and development of skills around science and technology and engineering.”
Harris emphasized women of color, particularly black women, and the advantages STEM can bring. She talked about STEM jobs being a way to shrink the pay gap. She believes that HBCU’s are not only just competing, but leading, and this can be used to these students’ advantage as STEM jobs continue to grow.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit was recognized and appreciated by students and staff at Hampton University. Students noted feeling inspired by her comments about them being the future of this country. The president of the university, William Harvey, stated his appreciation for the publicity that Harris brought to the school. He said that their university has a lot to offer in their STEM departments and now people will be looking at them and what they have to offer.
Harris emphasized that our world will not be able to continue without STEM and educated individuals in the STEM workforce. This puts a focus on higher education and their STEM education programs. Students of today are the leaders of tomorrow, as Harris continued to emphasize. This can be an especially powerful message for African American students who are not equally represented in STEM. A diverse STEM workforce is key to innovation.
Click here to watch video footage of the roundtable.
Mindfulness Matters
When you are thinking about STEM, mindfulness probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind. However, mindfulness is necessary to fully understand the benefits and intended outcomes of STEM lessons and curricula. At STEM Sports®, we begin every curriculum with a mindfulness matters section that talks about the importance of STEM and why the curriculum was specifically designed to reach an intended outcome.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ message reminded us a lot of why mindfulness is so key to fully utilizing STEM education. A class is not just a class and a degree is not just a degree. STEM fields need passionate, educated individuals who are ready to fill current jobs and jobs that will be created in the future.
