How One RS&H Associate is Encouraging Underrepresented Students to Pursue Careers in STEM
At the end of the day, the work we do is for the benefit of our community, our most important client. For Jeremy Haywood, this thought is at the forefront of everything he does. While demonstrating pride and determination in his work, Jeremy goes above and beyond to serve his community as well. Since the start of his career with RS&H, he’s been a role model for many associates.
Jeremy was recognized during RS&H’s annual award ceremony as the 2022 Community Volunteer for his work with the Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists (CAPBES), an organization that focuses on encouraging minority youth to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
What is the Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists?
Since 1980 CAPBES has had a mission to encourage and assist African American students and other underrepresented minority youth in the pursuit and attainment of career choices in STEM. The organization tutors around 200 students each year and has five different programs focused on a variety of topics like SAT preparation and math boot camp. All the tutors and advisors that teach in CABPES programs are either former or current professional engineers and scientists. This allows students to meet professionals who look like them, which gives them a chance to envision themselves in a STEM-related career. Through the support of CABPES and its volunteers, the organization hopes to see the number of minority STEM professionals increase to a level that better represents the minority population.
Volunteering with CAPBES
Since 2018 Jeremy has been an active volunteer with CAPBES, he serves as a role model that inspires the young individuals in this organization, focusing on tutoring middle and high school students in STEM subjects. Jeremy currently dedicates roughly 15 hours a month to tutoring three students. He has also engaged others to help with the tutoring initiative, creating a multiplying effect that increases his impact.
His passion for helping students in STEM comes from his own experiences. While he wasn’t impacted directly by CAPBES, Jeremy relied heavily on tutoring and college preparation assistance from similar volunteer organizations. He also recalls his parents investing in a math tutor while growing up. An investment that many families cannot afford. “Lucky for me, my parents were very engaged and had time to engage in my education,” said Jeremy. “However, those conditions are not true for a lot of students. That’s why I continue to volunteer and support CABPES and its mission.”
Elevating CAPBES
In addition to volunteering his time, Jeremy works hard to raise funds for CAPBES in hopes of driving its valuable programs forward. The organization has secured two grants from RS&H’s Elevate Fund, a program that supports associates in aiding the communities they work and live in by encouraging and funding volunteer and charitable activities that align with the company’s values.
This year RS&H was able to listen to the impact Elevate left on CABPES at an event in Denver, Colorado. Associates were also able to pack backpacks with school supplies, like costly graphing calculators, for high school students. The backpacks were then passed out to the communities at a CABPES back-to-school barbeque and backpacks event.
Through tutoring and his fundraising efforts, Jeremy hopes to make this program sustainable so that future generations will experience its benefits.
To learn more about how RS&H and our associates are committed to helping our communities, visit our community involvement page.