National Society of Black Engineers

With more than 790 chapters and more than 21,000 active members, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is the largest student-governed organizations in the United States. We seek to educate students about the importance of academic excellence and professional development as we work to fulfill NSBE’s mission: "to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community." At UMass Dartmouth, our NSBE chapter includes more than 50 students representing different majors, backgrounds and career interests. Our group meets weekly and focuses on activities including: tutorial programs, group study sessions, high school/junior high outreach programs, technical seminars and workshops, a national communications network (NSBENET), two national magazines (NSBE Magazine and NSBE Bridge), an internal newsletter, a professional newsletter (Career Engineer, a supplement in NSBE Magazine), resume books, career fairs, awards, banquets and an annual national convention.

Our organization hosts events that significantly impact the UMass Dartmouth community by fostering professional growth, community, and Black excellence. Signature events include the Black Business Expo, which connects students with local Black-owned businesses, LinkedIn and resume workshops, and mock interviews to prepare students for the job market. We also host a Flight Competition to encourage creativity and teamwork and collaborate with Tribe Academy to offer insights into being Black in tech. Additional activities like headshot sessions, movie nights, and game nights help build a strong sense of community and support students' success academically, professionally, and personally.

We are raising funds to support our members' participation in the annual NSBE Convention, which is our primary focus due to the significant costs involved. This year, we aim to bring up to 45 members to NSBE 52, which will be held in Baltimore, Maryland. Attending this convention is a pivotal opportunity for our members to enhance their academic performance, professionalism, and personal development through workshops. It also allows them to network with hundreds of companies, meet recruiters, and potentially secure internships, interviews, or full-time job offers. To make this possible, we need to cover the costs of flights, hotels, transportation, and registration for our attendees. While we plan to fundraise through various initiatives, we are seeking additional support to ensure we can make this opportunity accessible to as many members as possible. To prepare for the conference, we use our weekly meeting time to host workshops on competitive resumes, effective elevator pitches, useful LinkedIn profiles, appropriate professional attire, valuable professional headshots, interview preparation, confidence building, public speaking, and more. Funds raised will also support this preparation.