Engaging BIPOC youth in STEM one hip-hop track at a time

Drumroll please! Now introducing this year’s Empowering Youth emcee: Maynard Okereke, better known as The Hip Hop MD! 

Maynard is an award-winning Science Communicator and YouTube personality whose passion for science and entertainment, along with his curiosity for new innovation, has sparked an influential platform aimed at inspiring BIPOC youth to pursue careers in STEM. A graduate of the University of Washington, Maynard has fused his background in civil engineering and STEM with his love for music to engage youth in a fresh, informative and uniquely memorable way. 

We are so excited to have his talents light up the stage at our upcoming Empowering Youth luncheon. There’s still time to register to join us on Thursday, October 20, 2022 as we share inspiring stories, celebrate achievements and share new strategies for advancing education equity in Washington state.

We asked the Hip Hop MD a couple questions about his experience working so closely with youth and what we can learn from his insights:

How has being the Hip Hop MD helped you encourage minorities and youth to pursue college?

Representation is something that I highlight often through my Hip Hop Science platform.  Growing up, I never had figures or voices that looked like me to help inspire me to pursue higher education, nor was I able to actually see myself in some of these advanced career fields. As the Hip Hop MD, I can showcase that you can be your full authentic self in any space, and be the representation for our youth that may be interested in higher education. I’m able to show that learning can be fun and also give a new face to the traditional thought of “what a scientist looks like”. This is incredibly important in sparking curiosity in our youth and opening the doors for them to feel more welcomed and empowered to pursue higher education. 

What kind of techniques tend to get young people most motivated to stay in school?

Making education more relatable is key in driving students to stay invested in school and curious about learning. If they feel topics don’t speak to them or that it doesn’t play a role in their day-to-day lives, they’re unable to make a connection to it. By weaving in art, entertainment, music and comedy into education, you can make unique connections to areas that students already feel passionate about and are interested in. That intersectionality helps bridge the gap and show that education is important and is at play in every aspect of their lives. Also, being able to meet students where they’re already at can also be key in motivating them to stay in school. With social media playing an enormous role in the lives of youth, there are incredibly creative ways that we can turn these media into educational tools to help teach. By bringing these platforms into the classrooms, students are able to further make unique connections to the material and can oftentimes feel more empowered to present and teach the information themselves.

What factors do you feel work against low-income students and students of color trying to get ahead?

A number of factors affect the ability of POC & low-income students to get ahead when it comes to education. Lack of resources is a huge one, as many underserved communities don’t have the same amount or access to resources as their counterparts.  This can be everything from books and classroom resources, such as computers and STEM labs, to access to hands-on events like field trips and exploratory opportunities.  Lack of representation, especially in the STEM fields, is another limiting component for POC. If you’re not able to see people that look like you doing the work that you’re learning in the classroom, such as astronomy, biology, physics or engineering, it’s difficult to make a connection to it and feel that you can be a participant in the field.  Oftentimes students of color and underserved classrooms aren’t shown representative figures whose paths they can emulate, and thus are disempowered in their pursuit or interest to get ahead. 

Washington state employers are estimated to create 373,000 net jobs in the next five years with a large percentage of them being in STEM. Ensuring that BIPOC youth are not excluded from these advanced career fields is paramount for building a thriving and diverse workforce of the future. One of the best strategies for narrowing the equity gap in STEM fields starts with increasing access to higher education opportunities. We are honored to further our mission of inspiring students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to graduate from college as transformational leaders with The Hip Hop MD on our side!

Don’t forget to register to  join us on Thursday, October 20, 2022 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel for our Empowering Youth luncheon where you can meet the Hip Hop MD himself!

Want to get an even better feel for how vital and exuberant the Hip Hop MD is? Check out his recent news interview or explore his YouTube channel: