Black Leaders in STEM

The dynamic and diverse STEM workforce provides black and underrepresented students with countless real-world examples of people who look like them solving problems and building success. Spotlight unique black leaders in STEM and empower the next generation of changemakers.

Celebrating Black Leaders in STEM

In Celebration of Black History, the Discovery Education STEM Careers Coalition (SCC) has released a curated collection to spotlight Black professionals in STEM. Follow along as the SCC demonstrates how you can introduce your students to STEM with over 200 resources designed to uncover students' STEM skills to activate future solution seekers. Our exciting content includes resources ranging from hands-on student activations and lessons to the extensive database of career profiles and family activities.

Go On-the-Job with Black Leaders in STEM

Show students the exciting opportunities available in STEM with Career Profiles highlighting black professionals in leadership roles. These resources support student career investigation across a wide variety of industries.

Microsoft

Zero Trust Architect

Middle & High School | Grades: 6–12
Video Length
4:21 min

Cybersecurity Engineers are tech savvy problem-solvers who have the ability to predict and prevent potential problems before they happen, such as natural disasters, cybercrime, or hacking. They design computer systems that protect a company’s business from disruptions.

Capital Power

Wind Facility Site Manager

Middle & High School | Grades: 6–12
Video Length
4:44 min

Site Managers work hands-on out in the field, ensuring that production and logistics are moving smoothly at power plants or other work sites. They provide guidance to teammates and work to create an environment of safety, efficiency, and continuous improvement. 

Procter & Gamble

FemCare Research and Development Director

Middle & High School | Grades: 6–12
Video Length
4:12 min

FemCare Research and Development Directors lead the way to discovering improvements to the feminine hygiene products that their companies produce. They use excellent communication and collaboration skills to manage and motivate their teams while overseeing major research products. 

Stanley Black & Decker

Reliability Engineer

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
3:19 min

Reliability Engineers provide the tools and innovative solutions needed in the manufacturing process to ensure that the products produced meet and exceed customer expectations. Reliability Engineers act on behalf of the customer throughout the process, collaborating across a wide variety of departments. 

Microsoft

Program Manager

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
4:10

Program Managers always know how to get things done on time by being highly organized, collaborative, and leadership-oriented professionals. They are as flexible as they are productive, analyzing tasks and identifying steps and resources required to bring complicated projects to fruition.

ASME

Engineering Project Manager

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
4:12

Engineering Project Managers enable Mechanical Engineers, Civil Engineers, and Electrical Engineers to collaborate on solutions for strengthening natural gas and oil infrastructure. They are skilled problem-solvers with engineering knowledge who love taking things apart and putting them back together again.

Chevron

Petroleum Drilling Engineer

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
4:05

Petroleum Drilling Engineers are the scientists who explore below Earth for the best places to find oil and natural gas using criteria such as the efficiency of retrieval, safety, and profitability of deposit. They will often specialize in an aspect of drilling operations such as reservoir engineering, drilling engineering, completions engineering, and production engineering.

Boeing

Aircraft Assembly Mechanic

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
3:00

Aircraft Assembly Mechanics use their attention-to-detail to splice together the complex components of aircrafts into a finished product. With potential career pathways in both commercial and military aircraft manufacturing, Aircraft Assembly Mechanics can achieve success in a wide variety of roles.

IF/THEN Initiative

Top Executive

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
3:35 min

Top executives lead organizations or companies to implement their goals, plans, functions, or services. They envision the future of the company to maximize resources and make sure that its potential is fulfilled. They can be true visionaries who want to use their company to effect positive changes in the world. They are often quite passionate about what they want to accomplish for the company.

ASME

Cost Controller

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
3:51 min

Cost Controllers analyze the relationship between how well a project is progressing, and how much is being spent on that project. Working directly on the job site allows them to communicate and collaborate closely with the rest of the Project Management team.

Procter & Gamble

Scientific Communications Manager

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
3:44 min

Scientific Communications Managers study the science used to create consumer products and find effective ways of presenting this information so that colleagues and consumers can understand. They help companies develop and manage scientific data and oversee the communication of this information.  

Sanofi

Plant Manager

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
4:09 min

Plant Managers are in charge of overseeing the logistics within a manufacturing plant, such as a plant producing medical products. They must use collaborative and organizational skills to ensure the utmost safety throughout the process, while keeping production and logistics running smoothly. 

Stanley Black & Decker

Reliability Engineer

Elementary, Middle, & High School | Grades: K–12
Video Length
3:19 min

Reliability Engineers provide the tools and innovative solutions needed in the manufacturing process to ensure that the products produced meet and exceed customer expectations. Reliability Engineers act on behalf of the customer throughout the process, collaborating across a wide variety of departments. 

Meet Black Solution Seekers Innovating for All

Explore the pivotal contributions of black STEM leaders on the front lines of innovation during a global challenge. These inspiring stories give students firsthand proof of the power STEM skills have to improve lives and communities.

COVID-19 Solutions Seeker | Procter & Gamble

Senior Innovation Leader

Grades K-12
From a Distance
Video Length
4:09 min

When the pandemic prevented Tanya and her team from testing a new technology in the lab, they decided to use their own homes instead – and the results were better than they could have ever expected. 

 

COVID-19 Solutions Seeker | Procter & Gamble

Product Researcher

Grades K-12
Adaptable Communication
Video Length
3:35 min

To be able to effectively test products and gain consumer insights during the pandemic, Aaron and her colleagues quickly developed new collaborative workarounds that brought their team closer together as they adapted to the changing needs of consumers.

 

COVID-19 Solutions Seeker | American Petroleum Institute

Senior Policy Advisor

Grades K-12
STEM Skills Transfer
Video Length
3:35 min

With expertise in addressing community concerns about environmental health issues, Uni is drawing on her knowledge to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, finding ways to reduce transmission in community areas and workplaces.

Engage in Interactives

The more you pursue your passions and incorporate skill-building into everyday life, the easier it will become to find the right career path and secure a job you really love. Explore these interactive resources to hone-in on your career goals, and start practicing daily with the help of simple strategies, roadmaps, and other easy-to-use digital resources.

Quiz
Career Finder

Post-Secondary Prep

Career Finder

Wondering where to begin the journey on the way to your future career?
High School: Grades 9-12
45–60 minute activity

Check out a suite of interactive Career Finder resources, which guide you towards career success, starting with self-reflection, developing into research, and ultimately moving into practical next steps you can take today. 
 

New
Building Your 
Professional Identity

Post-Secondary Prep

Building Your 
Professional Identity

Do you know how your online persona represents you?
High School: Grades 9-12
NAF
45–60 minute activity

This module delivers strategies focused on what makes you unique and how your education, work, and life experiences help develop your skills, behaviors and values and present these in your online persona. 

New
Networking and Professionalism

Post-Secondary Prep

Networking & Professionalism

How do you begin building a professional network?
High School: Grades 9-12
NAF
45–60 minute activity

This module will assist you in discovering the practice of networking for future educational and career opportunities while examining the best practices in scenarios.