New College Institute Board Chairman, State Sen. William Stanley, Jr., presented a $25,000 check to the Martinsville Henry County Junior Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (MHC NSBE Jr) toward the creation and development of a Robotics Program.
“Robotics is such an important part of educating our young men and women for the 21st century workforce, and I am honored on behalf of the members of the NCI Board of Directors to award this check to the Martinsville Henry County Junior Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). These funds will greatly impact the lives of these young students and will help them compete in Robotics competitions on both the state and national levels,” said Stanley, R-Moneta. “Ultimately, these competitions will have a profound effect on the NSBE Robotics team members’ future lives, and will give them the skills that they can carry with them into their future careers. I would like to thank my colleagues at NCI for bringing this opportunity to fruition, and we all look forward to being a partner with the NSBE robotics team and cheering them on in their future competitions.”
Helen Howell, Adviser for the MHC NSBE Jr. Chapter, was on hand to accept the check on behalf of NSBE. She expressed her excitement about the prospect of allowing more students to engage and participate in Robotics-related field trips and activities, where they had previously been incapable of accommodating every interested student due to limited funds.
“We’re so very happy to be able to receive this check today. This check is going to open up more doors for our students and give more students an opportunity to be involved in the robotics program, which we haven’t been able to do in the past,” Howell shared.
Howell has been a fervent supporter of NSBE and has successfully pursued and obtained numerous opportunities for the chapter’s students to help them gain leadership experience and to provide more exposure to STEM careers.
The Martinsville/Henry County National Society of Black Engineers Chapter was chartered in 1999 and was the first NSBE Jr. chapter to be established and chartered in Virginia. The chapter has a 100 percent graduation rate from high school, and every student member has either enrolled in college or enlisted in the military. The organization has become an integral part of local academic programming. Additionally, the Martinsville/Henry County NSBE Jr. organization has inspired many parents to return to school and pursue or complete academic degrees.
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the United States. NSBE, founded in 1975, supports and promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology.
