Mayor Carter and the City of Saint Paul’s Right Track program, in partnership with the National League of Cities, hosted a stakeholder event on Thursday, October 27, that incorporated critical conversations about access to STEM careers, valuable data from youth researchers, and local and national experts.
The event called, "STEM Ahead: Addressing Racial Disparities in STEM Careers," was designed to engage senior leaders across the community to support youth in Saint Paul entering into STEM careers and to identify opportunities for partnership and collaboration that will create scaffolded pathways for marginalized youth.
Held at the Wellstone Center – Neighborhood House, Saint Paul College was well-represented throughout the conversations. President Deidra Peaslee gave invited remarks, while Dean of
STEM Enyinda Onunwor was an invited panelist on the intersection of STEM education and career pathways. Additionally, Darian Lofton, a current Saint Paul College student, served as one of the event moderators. As a co-founder of
World Youth Connect, Darian helped present data from student-led focus groups conducted with local youth and employers on the barriers to entry and pursuit of STEM careers.
The event ended with a call to action to address racial disparities in STEM careers. To that end, Saint Paul College invites industry leaders, community organizations, and other stakeholder groups to
connect with us for systems alignment and to create and broaden our partnerships to expand our STEM workforce.
National League of Cities’ Youth Excel Initiative:
The goal of this initiative is to support cities in creating more equitable economic success for young people who are marginalized from economic success. This includes youth and young adults who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC).
Saint Paul’s Youth Excel Framework
The City of Saint Paul is utilizing the Youth Excel initiative to implement a more cohesive youth workforce system that better aligns the efforts of public agencies, education systems, community-based organizations (CBOs), and STEM employers.
