Verizon’s director of education, Justina Nixon Saintil, can’t hide her passion for educating youth about STEM-related subjects and the benefits.
Launched in 2015, the Verizon Innovative Learning program for minority males is a first-of its-kind, two-year initiative that gives minority boys in middle school high-level technology, STEM and entrepreneurship skills, through hands-on, interactive instruction and mentors. Directed by HBCU university partners, the initiative is equipping young men to become creators and makers through 3-D design and app development, and opening their eyes to the many career opportunities that STEM, technology and entrepreneurship skills hold for their futures.
In its first year, which engaged 473 middle school boys, 100 percent of students increased mobile technology proficiency, 75 percent increased interest in STEM subjects and 69 percent increased interest in STEM careers. Students also developed 582 products. This summer, the Verizon Innovative Learning program for minority males is expanding to 12 cities, in partnership with 11 Historically Black Colleges and one Hispanic-serving institution.
Minority males are severely underrepresented in STEM fields and are less likely than Caucasian peers to graduate from high school in four years and pursue college.
The You Don’t Know Me PSA aims to shed light on the negative stereotypes that contribute to these disparities.
Verizon’s new “You Don’t Know Me,” video takes a look at how negative stereotypes underestimate minority boys based solely on their race, clothing and socioeconomic status.
What do you do in your role as executive director?
My job is to decide on strategy and what program we will launch at the Verizon foundation. I have been in this role for four years and at the foundation for five years.
We bring new and innovative STEM programs to young people.
Please tell us about the 2016 summit in San Francisco.
It was amazing. We launched the minority male program last summer. We started with four HBCUs and around 400 kids. We took 100 of those students to San Francisco for a three-day immersive experience. What we learned from the kids in the program who learned 3D design and app development is that they don’t connect what they’re learning to real life and careers. So we said let’s bring them to the U.S. tech hub and really show them what new technologies are out there and what are the real tech careers that use the skill set they’re learning over the summer.
We brought them to the Verizon Innovation Center where they learned augmented and virtual reality, and so many technologies we’re working on with different partners. We brought them to Lucasfilm where they learned about the STEM behind film. They learned from an employee at Lucasfilm how [when] designing a set for a Marvel Comic or a Star Wars, they need to incorporate 3-D design, they need to use programming in their creative process. It was a really nice connection for the kids to look at something creative for Lucasfilm.
We also took them to the 49ers stadium, where they spent an entire day learning about design thinking – how do you come up with an idea, how do you prototype it and actually launch the product. The helmet was their product and they went through the process of creating new ideas on how to make the helmet safer. It was a wonderful experience, again, connecting some of what they learned in the summer program, the academic year program and the Verizon Innovative Learning initiative with real careers and real products that are in the market.
We actually hosted a dinner at the Exploratorium, which is a museum where kids can tinker. The kids in the program presented some of the products they developed and they explored the museum. The feedback from many of the kids, who had never been on a plan, was phenomenal. It was a great experience for them and their families.
