The NEED Podcast

The Pipeline to Higher Ed: NEED's Academic Enrichment Programs

• Dr. Marcia Sturdivant • Episode 3

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What Enrichment Programs Are Offered Through NEED?

What happens when possibility meets preparation? At NEED, the answer is transformative educational pathways for students who might otherwise never consider college as an option.

Dr. Marcia Sturdivant's passion for student empowerment shines through as she details the organization's comprehensive approach to college readiness. Their flagship ACE (Access to College and Career Education) program doesn't just help students navigate applications—it builds a complete support system that includes parents, mentors, and career exploration opportunities tailored to each student's interests and abilities.

Particularly compelling are NEED's targeted initiatives addressing critical workforce gaps. The Pathways to African American Nurses and Teachers programs respond to alarming shortages in these professions, recognizing that representation directly impacts both health outcomes and academic achievement. By bringing Black professionals into schools to share their experiences and expertise, these programs have already sent dozens of students into nursing programs, creating a pipeline that will benefit communities for generations.

The organization's culturally responsive approach extends to their popular HBCU Tour, where students visit approximately 18 Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the eastern seaboard. For many participants, it's their first time seeing campuses filled with Black scholars—an experience described as "mesmerizing." Other innovative programs include Hip Hop Robotics for sixth-graders and a PEACE gardening initiative that connects environmental science with African cultural traditions.

Underpinning everything is NEED's scholarship program, providing crucial "last dollar" funding that bridges the gap between other financial aid and total college costs. As Dr. Sturdivant powerfully states, "Our kids are brilliant and can get into any college they desire. Paying for it is a different thing."

Ready to support this vital work? Visit www.Needld.org to learn how you can help unlock the power of education for students, families, and the future of our region.

To learn more about NEED visit:
https://www.NEEDLD.org
NEED
429 Fourth Avenue, 20th FL, Suite 2000
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-566-2760



Speaker 1:

Welcome to the NEED Podcast highlighting students, partners and advocates Presented by NEED and hosted by Dr Marcia Sturtevant, president and CEO. This series highlights the impact of mentoring, philanthropy and collaborative partnerships that empower students' triumphant entry into, and progression through higher education. Whether you're applying for scholarships or supporting the mission, you'll find insights that inform, inspire and empower.

Speaker 2:

College access isn't just about getting in. It's about being ready. In this episode, dr Marcia Sturdivant walks us through the enrichment programs that prepare students academically, emotionally and socially for the journey ahead. Welcome back everyone. Millie M, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Dr Marcia Sturdivant, president and CEO of NEED. How are you, dr Sturdivant?

Speaker 3:

I'm good. How are you?

Speaker 2:

I'm doing quite well. I know today's topic is close to your heart because the programs are where preparation meets possibility. So tell us what enrichment programs are offered through NEED.

Speaker 3:

We have tons of them, to help develop a pipeline of students who are ready to go to college. We know that there are students out there with their families working towards getting them to college, and that's great and we support them as well. But the question is, what about the student that no one ever told them they could go to college? We have to have a pipeline, a prepared pipeline, so that we can continue the legacy of higher education amongst African Americans. Our main program is called ACE and that stands for Access to College and Career Education, and that's what we talked about a little bit at the last session that we have trained professionals who are either former teachers themselves or college graduates who go into the schools and work one-on-one with students. We recruit students to say, hey, what do you ever think about college? Or what do you want to do when you grow up? What do you want to be when you leave high school? And that engagement process brings students in hey, yeah, I do want to go, but I don't know how or I can't afford it. So we take them through this process from the beginning to the end. Career exploration this is what's required of college. These are the high school courses that you have to take? Where do you want to go? What kind of college do you want to go to? Big school, small school? And with that we team with the parent, because a lot of programs will work with the students and not with the parent. Well, the parent has to be involved as well. So we have a lot of contact. You know I'm Marcia, I work with Johnny, and today we talked about him going on to college how do you feel about that? And so on. So our ACE program Access to College and Career is both mentoring as well as direct intervention to help them really know the whole college process, from searching for college to developing a major, all the way to financing. We have FAFSA nights where we help parents and students prepare for that very complex process and also tell them about ways to finance through scholarships and so on, and I'll talk more about our scholarship program, another program that we have actually, there are two that we always try to keep abreast of. What are the career options out there? Which direction are industries going? What are some of the professions that are, you know, the new profession, so to speak.

Speaker 3:

And what we found out was and it's a crisis across the country, not only in Pittsburgh, across the country that there are fewer African-American nurses and fewer African-American teachers. And we know that when people like health, outcomes are better served when someone like you is providing the intervention, providing the care that we all know that nurses of African-American descent who treat patients of African-American descent the health outcomes are improved. That's not to say that other people don't do what they're supposed to do and do a good job, but sometimes that cultural connection is greater. You know it's enhanced and those outcomes are greater. Also, we don't have a lot of African-American teachers. The one time, you know, african-americans went into education and they're not doing that as much anymore. We know that when students are taught by someone who looks like them, their academic performance is better.

Speaker 3:

So we go into the schools and we have former nurses of African-American descent and we call that our Pathway to African American Nurses program. We have the same program for teachers Pathways to African American Nurses. Some kids have never had a teacher that looks like them. Okay, and that's a problem. But long story short, we have hired African American nurses some that have been retired, some that are currently working in the field and they go and teach children about the nursing process. This is what we do. This is a specific day in the life of a nurse. This is what you can expect. These are the courses you need to take. They do field trips, they take them to these hospitals and do whatever the nursing stuff is and what their experience is has an African-American in the medical field. It's been one of our most popular programs that we've had, where last year we sent I don't want to get the numbers too wrong, but 22 African American students to colleges to study nursing. So we hope that will then be a pipeline later for the industry to have more minority nurses. And the same thing with teachers. We have former principals, former teachers, to go into the schools and help these students understand you know what teaching is really about and are you interested in that, are you motivated for that, and again, that's been very successful as well. We also support those students with scholarships once they, you know, register or apply to college and get into college for those particular degrees. Now we mentor around that whole process, whatever career avenue you want to take. But we know now that our community is suffering from not having enough African Americans represented in the nursing industry as well as in education Another program that we have, which is probably our most popular program, is PCU Tour.

Speaker 3:

Yes, we take students on a 10-day we call it a conversion, a transformational experience across the eastern seaboard and southern states and we visit about 18 different HBCUs. We travel to, you know, small, private HBCUs as well as large state-run HBCUs to help students see that there are others out there just like you Right Understand and appreciate the beauty of the HBCUs, and every year we are so touched when we see our students walk on these campuses and they're just mesmerized. They can't believe that there are universities full of African-American scholars and it's very popular and very motivating. About a third of our kids now are enrolled in HBCUs, although we support whatever college they want to go on. There are industry needs around technology and to grasp children earlier, because certainly in many of these fields we have to get kids earlier. So we started sixth grade with this hip hop robotics. I know you got to get them.

Speaker 3:

So writing music is always the way we have a scientist who works with young children to learn about the robotics industry and they build these robots that at the end of their project, these robots will dance to whatever music they pick out, and it's really a lot of fun to see. You know these 12 year old kids you know dancing to. I see I'm going to age myself dancing to. You know Beyonce. I'll say Beyonce, right, right, right. But they learn and they learn the mechanics of robotics, which is just amazing how our students are just brilliant. They're just scholars, they just can do these things.

Speaker 2:

They just need that outlet and that opportunity.

Speaker 3:

Oh, it's just wonderful to see them and we showcase their projects at our annual scholarship dinner. Another area that we don't have a lot of African-American representation as far as careers and that's agricultural sciences, and we just happen to have someone who not happen to have, but we have a person who went to an HBCU, graduated with a degree in environmental science and we also want to have our students give back to their communities. Just don't take from the services, but give back. So we have a gardening program called PEACE, promoting education, arts, culture and environment, and they grow vegetables in community spaces and when the vegetables come and they learn all about you know what's needed for the soil and the air and so on, because many of them have never had a vegetable other than something in the cellophane pack. They don't know that. You know that comes from the ground and it's also very self-fulfilling for them.

Speaker 3:

But while we're doing that, we're talking about our ancestral roots in gardening and farming. So kids will be drumming during that particular African American. African drumming, they learn African-American drumming, they sing songs, they do artwork, all while coupling this with the environmental science aspect of it, and it's been very pleasurable to see. In fact, I visited one of the gardens last week, and actually she's in the third grade. She's very young and she came up to me and she showed me a very tiny strawberry.

Speaker 2:

She was proud of it. She was very proud of it.

Speaker 3:

She was proud of it. She was very proud of it. So we picked it now. But it can get bigger. But that is a hands-on science engagement. We really promote some of the science disciplines that a lot of our children don't receive robust science education in the underserved, under-resourced schools they serve or they attend and we want to boost that and I love how you're catering to that, because there are so many different children that learn different ways.

Speaker 2:

Everybody is not going to sit at a desk or at a computer and have a career like that. Some people need to be outside, some people need to be mobile, some people need to work with the electronics and robots and things like that. So you are catering to all of those different types of students and learners. And it's a beautiful thing, even that connection with agriculture and our culture and our history, because at Thanksgiving I'm always the one who's cleaning the greens and I just feel connected to my grandmother when I'm always the one who's cleaning the greens and I always feel connected to my grandmother when I'm doing it.

Speaker 3:

You know, just the process of washing and cleaning the greens makes me feel closer to my grandmother, so I understand that yeah, we have to go back to some of the traditional and old ways and we, you know, we're always very culturally specific because we think that's what makes the difference with our students understanding the culture, understanding the history of different experiences.

Speaker 3:

But our flagship program why Needs Was Started is our scholarship program and we provide scholarships to students from Western Pennsylvania, primarily Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, to help them fund their college education. We know that our kids are brilliant and that they can get into any college they desire. Paying for it is a different thing and there are many more challenges now than there have been in recent years. So we put out applications and students they don't have to be active with us but parents and students who are in need of financial support. We garner support from donors and what we have we give out to help with funding your college education. And that's called our last dollar, our last dollar scholarship program, where you may be eligible for other types of financial aid but there's always a little bit left and for students of lower economic means, that difference, that what's left on the table, will make the difference between what the other.

Speaker 2:

They need that last dollar, yeah.

Speaker 3:

So here we come with our little scholarships, and well, some of them were great, I should say, and Very meaningful. We help kids to go, yeah, to college.

Speaker 2:

And that's a way that the community can get involved and help with need. Thank you so much, Dr Sturdivant. It's clear that enrichment at need means empowerment. Looking forward to continuing the conversation next time on the Need Podcast.

Speaker 3:

Have a great day. See you next time.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Need Podcast. To apply for scholarships, access support or learn how you or your organization can get involved, visit wwwneedldorg, email needpgh at gmailcom or call 412-566-2760. Need unlocking the power of education for students, families and the future of our region.