Logo

We're proud of our 20-year experience as a launchpad for small and emerging businesses everywhere to make a mark and be successful. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School is a nonprofit organization located in Brooklyn, New York, that aims to provide students an excellent post-secondary education that will help to guide youngsters who have been overlooked to rewarding and fulfilling careers in the technology sector.

We gave $100,000 to the Marcy Lab School as a portion of our 2020 pledge to assist organizations in the reduction of racial inequality.

We talked to Marcy Lab's executive director Reuben Ogbonna II, about how the school is making opportunities for Fellows to fully realize their potential, and find careers in technology, as well as other areas, with or without having a degree.

: Marcy Lab is a very new entity, what is the reason you do you have the desire to start the nonprofit?

Reuben Ogbonna II: After spending 14 years serving students of color--along with my co-founder Maya Bhattacharjee-Marcantonio--in the charter and public school systems, we repeatedly watched as our former students with limitless potential slipped through the cracks of higher education. The thing that isn't often talked about when it comes to the college experience on the other hand in America is that each year, hundreds of hard-working talented students are admitted to the school of their dreams but not being able to afford the fees or even stay at college until they reach the age of. It was awe-inspiring to see the plethora of failed "college promises" that have left our students as well as their families in debt that could have a lasting impact on their lives and a host of other seemingly impossible obstacles.

We founded in 2019 and now lead Marcy Lab out of the idea that youth that are of color and in fact everyone young adults, should have the opportunity to enjoy a fair, equitable pathway to the advantages and possibilities that were previously thought to only be available to students who graduated from the four years of a college. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School offers a alternative to formal education, which has been reinvented and is grounded in our guiding principles of providing lifelong economic opportunities as well as mobility to students who want to pursue the life-changing professions of tech.

SQSP is described as an alternative to the college education for its fellows. It is vital to you to know this. The Marcy Lab offers this way to get finding a job?

ROThe problems I witnessed my students face firsthand were among the greatest barriers for children who are from a minority. We realized that the system we use for postsecondary education was not living up to the promise of the college that the majority of young people are looking for including community, encouragement for academics, and an capability to be aligned with an occupational path but also a prospective. It's the intentional mix of these aspects that make up the core for Marcy Lab and are some essential components that provide students with the courage to take a path that isn't traditional.

In order to fulfill our fresh promise, we guarantee that our Fellows will be prepared for working after the course of 12 months They will be equipped with the necessary skills to incorporate their expertise into teams that are valuable from day one. They are able to acquire technical expertise through an industry-aligned, well-informed program that is adaptable and is responsive to constantly changing demands of technology. In addition to acquiring a robust technological background, the students participate in our Leadership & Development curriculum, that is focused on racial identities and gender equality and also on professional preparation as well as the significance to be financially literate. The curriculum is based on writings by famous authors like James Baldwin, Michelle Alexander, Safiya Umoja Noble, and the late Dr. Beverly Tatum.

We're extremely pleased to announce that The Marcy Lab School graduates are seeking and landing high-paying jobs usually reserved for college students who have attended competitive four-year institutions. The impact here is twofold: Not only are our fellows as well as their families forced into positions of prosperity, it highlights the manner that companies are altering their hiring methods in order to attract, motivate, and maintain the employment of non-traditional workers.

SQSP: Can you tell us more about the effect you've seen The Marcy Lab School have on the students and their families during and following the program?

ROEven even after 5 years of doing this work, it is obvious that it is revolutionary to me is to watch our children be promoted to positions that have average annual income of between 19 and 20 in many of the most competitive companies in the world and with no credit card loans. The teams they're working with are companies such as The New York Times, JPMorgan, Cockroach Labs, Spotify and more which is increasing their earnings potential at a rate of nearly $75,000 over the course of one year as well as allowing them to invest back into the local community by buying houses, assisting the businesses of their families, and supporting their family members.

Before our Fellows start their journey to the world of business, we watch their growth, evolve and grow as individuals pushing themselves further than they ever have to fulfill their ambitions and gaining confidence that they can be a valuable asset in any space they step into. Each day, they're more enthused and eager to bring change outside the boundaries of Marcy and, ultimately, their work environments. They are working with their instructors along with colleagues to stay at the forefront of reality and know that their skills, talents and skills will help them to break down the structures which have led to the creation of injustice for a long time. their experiences and education to develop tools that serve the social good as well as towards bringing about changes to society.

SQSP: What role does tech play in the successful operation of the Marcy Lab program and its colleagues, both as subject matter experts and also in directing the entire program?

ROOur technologically-based educational curriculum's success depends on our close relationship with our partners on the side of employers for continuous feedback loops about our Fellows' skills and abilities. and job-ready. Relevant areas for improvement go right back to our instruction teams to ensure that our curriculum can grow and change according to the needs of employers and their needs for hiring.

This alignment between both the teaching curriculum and the performance of students is resulting in the creation of the establishment of new partnerships for hiring with businesses which recognize the fact that strong connections could result in better or more equal hiring results. The highlights include:

In direct collaboration with established businesses to eliminate degree requirements for software engineers. These include The New York Times and . They've also hired our Fellows as well as other talent not typical.

A brand new Capstone curriculum of study in conjunction with J.P. Morgan Chase Asset and Wealth Management who are a specialist in data backend training that we will use for our capstone stage in order to satisfy their demands in order to help our Fellows prepare to meet the ever-growing demand in data analytics.

SQSP What do you hope regarding the future direction of Marcy Lab School?

ROWhat is making me feel optimistic regarding the future for Marcy Lab and the potential of the space that we operate in is the changes happening in the business world, which has firms moving away from the necessity of degrees in favor of hiring on the basis of capabilities, which has opened up the potential for organizations such as Marcy Lab to even exist.

I've observed large employers across the country such as IBM and Barclays with significant partners like that which has a significant quantity of junior, mid-level, and senior leaders that are graduates of The Marcy Lab School, similar the Stanford pipeline that is used for businesses that are located in San Francisco's Bay Area. As they gain knowledge and experience at the top companies, I am seeing our students eventually starting their own ventures and starting their own businesses and then transferring their expertise by bringing on teams of the same background as they did.

The bottom line is that I consider Marcy Lab as a part of a larger range of avenues for fair development specifically designed to propel thousands of highly-achieving students in communities of color into jobs that break the cycle of poverty within a single generation.

SQSP: How do people who are interested in the Marcy Lab School's mission become active?

ROIf our mission, vision and our work are a match for you. We encourage you to become part of our growing community. We hope we'll keep inspiring others when we become part of the movement! We regularly share three ways for those who are new to getting involved:

Go to our Brooklyn campus located in Industry City and meet first-hand the teens and children working hard to reach their goals and the formidable team who move everything upwards.

Donate to volunteer your time and your experience with our Fellows who must navigate the rigorous requirements of the program for a year in order to get them ready for their job search as well as beyond. Our volunteers serve as tutors, curriculum advisors, guest lecturers, and recruiters and are essential for our program. They help to keep our curriculum relevant and ensuring the success of every Fellow.

At the end of the day, the money you give to our cause enables us to carry on the program without fees for our Fellows.

Article was first seen on here