![]() “We’re not just doing this because it’s morally right-which it is-but also because it’s going to make a better city and better opportunities for all of us.”Ĭentral to Vereen’s vision is a commitment to providing advising and academic preparation to help Black and Brown students access and navigate high-performing high schools and colleges. “There is a financial cost to not serving the kids in this city,” Vereen argues. Inveniam aims to enroll three thousand Philadelphia students in the course and later to provide similar support for advanced math and physics courses. The STEM equity and innovation program will offer Penn-developed online modules to supplement high school classroom instruction for an Advanced Placement computer science course. As part of Ventures, a five-year collaboration called Inveniam launched between Steppingstone and Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science this fall. ![]() In addition, Steppingstone has added two new initiatives for college and workforce preparation: Steppingstone Pathways, which places staff at Philadelphia public, charter, and magnet schools and Steppingstone Ventures, an innovation hub. Over his tenure at Steppingstone, he reports, the nonprofit has grown to serve 2,500 students, up from about two hundred, and has quadrupled its budget. ![]() Vereen, who previously spent a decade at Penn in diversity and minority affairs roles, including associate dean for opportunity and access. “If we’re going to move people out of poverty in the city, we’ve got to tie the education piece and the career piece together,” says Dr. The aim of the educational social mobility organization remains the same-to overcome systemic barriers and change outcomes for low-income and racially minoritized Philadelphia students. Vereen, GED’00, GRD’05, has led Philadelphia-based Steppingstone Scholars as president, the organization has expanded its mission from providing academic enrichment and school placement to creating multiple routes to success in college and the workforce. These leaders report drawing upon their life experiences and insights gained at Penn GSE as they undertake the complex work of cultivating opportunity and support for students and employees.Ĭreating Paths to College and Career Success Here, four Penn GSE alumni share how they are striving to advance these areas through their roles at an education nonprofit, a middle school, a state university, and a tech company. In this time of a national awakening and reckoning about race, inequality, and long-overdue social justice, efforts to value diversity, promote equity, and foster inclusive environments have gained renewed attention. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |