“The conference was a great opportunity for me to enhance my knowledge on the stories and perspectives of black people and people of color. As well as network with people who have the same interests as me and can help me in the future.” – Markeem R., E-Cubed ’19
Markeem is a senior at E-Cubed Academy who’s interests lie in areas like Computer Science, African-American Studies, Political Science and Film/Photography! Recently, with support of his College Visions advisor, he was able to volunteer at The Data for Black Lives conference held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology! Read about his experience below:
What school do you attend, what is your dream college, and what are your areas of interest/intended major?
I’ve attended E-cubed Academy all 4 years and my dream schools are either Stanford or Brown University. I wish to double major in Computer Science and Music with a minor in either African American studies, Political Science, or Film/Photography.
Where was the conference held and how did you hear about it?
The Data for Black Lives conference was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts at MIT. My advisor Emily “EmGo” Gonzalez informed me about the conference. We were talking about finding connections with my different majors and she found this conference, but it was sold out. Before the event, she emailed the organizers advocating for me and the organizers decided to use me as a volunteer!
Why did you decide to attend & what was the most important thing you learned?
It was a great opportunity for me to enhance my knowledge on the stories and perspectives of black people and people of color. As well as network with people who have the same interests as me and can help me in the future. The two very important things I learned would have to be that just because I am very young, that does not mean I am a burden and have nothing to offer to the conversation. As a youth, I have a very unique perspective on many topics that should be talked about. This showed that I should not be in the shadows of anything and if I want to fully understand anything, I need to be up in the front at all times. The other one would be to stop complaining about not having a seat at the table and create my own table.
What do you want to do in the future and what role is CV playing in you getting there?
I wish to find connections between my many areas of interests and use them to fight against a number of contemporary issues. CV will play a big role in this process by helping me choose the best college that will allow me to do this and by going the extra step by helping in anyway possible like advocating for issues that I am passionate about, allowing me to post flyers, and even showing up to events that I am apart of. This is why CV is the best!
A huge shout out to Markeem and all the students who are pursuing their goals and putting action behind them! We are so proud of you!
